I call it the Monolith. I have plans for it.

[DerekTheGreat]

Monolith, cool tune by T.Rex!

[ootdega]

Admission of the problem is typically enough for me. Admitting you can be an ass (dumb or smart) lets others know how to properly deal with you and your humor (or lack thereof). And knowing is half the battle. :-p

It's all good, we were all less informed at some point in life.

I'm going to be punching myself for this nonsense for a good many years, whether I want to or not. But thanks. My plans haven't really changed and likely won't, but I probably shouldn't have been talking to anyone at that particular time.

Anyway, I'll see about taking some photos...uh...eventually.

[sly]

Admission of the problem is typically enough for me. Admitting you can be an ass (dumb or smart) lets others know how to properly deal with you and your humor (or lack thereof). And knowing is half the battle. :-p

It's all good, we were all less informed at some point in life.

[ootdega]

Stuff.

Ever go back and read something you wrote a long time ago and wonder how the hell you were ever that stupid such a short time ago?

Yeah. That. Hard to believe I wasn't 15.



...Anyway, I've done a lot of stuff and things, most of which was only possible through the information provided by the lot of you. I've also re-written the list to include everything I'd already accomplished, mostly to keep myself from getting discouraged from life in general. While I was at it, I removed some redundancy and things I changed my mind on.

I was gonna [spoiler] it here, but it doesn't work because I used brackets to act as checkboxes.

Basically, I've got the tires I wanted, an LSD, a new heater core, and fixed the heater door hinge. I also bought a pair of Gabriel Ultra front shocks and 1.25" wheel spacers, but I haven't got them installed yet.

None of this was easy, especially considering the fact that I had to take it back to the shop three different times because they kept breaking things and ended up not having it for a month as a result, and the dash light they fucked up still doesn't work right. Never going there again.

I bumped my grandma's car, and scuffed part of the trim and bent the fender slightly in the process, so I'll have to deal with that next.



In addendum, I apologize for being a dumbass in the preceding chunk of thread. I do that a lot, and there's a reason for it, but I won't bother you all with my excuses.

[ootdega]

I hope to get a job relatively soon. One of these days I'll get a backup of some sort, but until then I'll just have to bug someone to pick me up if excrament contacts the rotary air circulation device.

Thanks for your input.

[slack]

ootdega as far as being able to mod your car even as your daily driver... I haven't really had an issue with it yet. Yeah, it can make for some long ass days but when you need to get shit done, it has to get done. My car is my daily driver and I'm always messing with stuff. This isn't my first rodeo either. Before my CV was my '84 Celebrity after that was my '82 Deville... etc.... (Nothing like doing an engine swap at 11pm!)

That said, I do have an older GM a-body as my backup. I keep it parked and usually use it for some random longer trip transportations (usually driving to band practice honestly) or part store running. My CV is my daily driver but if the shit hits the fan, I do have a second car to run to the parts store. That's just the only thing I wanted to add about modding your daily driver. Just as long as you can get around for a day or so if crap doesn't work out and you're going to spend some long nights after work finishing up... you're fine.

(Edit: just read you don't have a job. so having to work more after work should't be an issue but it's always good to have a fall back means of transportation even for a short time).

[ootdega]

We seem to be a little sensitive here. You asked for our thoughts and then bristle when you get them. Most of us have been "at this" a lot longer than you so we are giving helpful info based upon our collective experiences. You are certainly free to do as you wish. You stated your repair experience is limited so hence my suggestions. So unless you have VERY deep pockets your list is probably not feasible (will you have the car in 5 or 10 years??). Didn't mean to upset you - just stating reality. Since I can no longer be helpful, I am off this thread!!

'S because I'm tired of effectively being told I'm stupid. I didn't ask how feasible it was. I'm fully aware of that. And I never said I was gung-ho to get it all done as soon as possible at my own detriment. I don't even have a job.

And regardless of how "deep" my pockets would have to be to do all of it, it would still be significantly cheaper than a new car. I've had it for two years and everything I've spent on it still only amounts to 6 months of car payments.

I'm going to be keeping it as long as concievably possible. If I thought of it as a throw-away tool I would keep it as it is right now and never bother with it again.

Not to start a huge debate or throw the thread off topic, but keep in mind that Roots/Twin Screw Superchargers produce all their boost at WOT, regardless of engine speed. That'll put more stress on the engine and reduce life. Centrifugal Superchargers make boost progressively with engine rpm so little to no extra stress is put on the engine. Centrifugal also creates less heat, especially with an efficient air-to-air intercooler setup.

Twin Screw does make a ton of low-mid range torque but I think Centrifugal is better for street use. That's debatable, but that's my opinion of it. If you really want the low-mid power, a Twin Screw has improvements over Roots for street use, Roots are better if you're going for big power gains in a racing application.

Makes sense. My intention is not going fast. My intention is simply to make it capable of doing whatever I need it to for as long as I have it. Which, if I have my way, will be until it blows up.

[88Vic]

There's plenty of ways to go about this. Want more low and mid range? Get a twin-screw. Want more top end? Get a centrifugal. And so on.

Not to start a huge debate or throw the thread off topic, but keep in mind that Roots/Twin Screw Superchargers produce all their boost at WOT, regardless of engine speed. That'll put more stress on the engine and reduce life. Centrifugal Superchargers make boost progressively with engine rpm so little to no extra stress is put on the engine. Centrifugal also creates less heat, especially with an efficient air-to-air intercooler setup.

Twin Screw does make a ton of low-mid range torque but I think Centrifugal is better for street use. That's debatable, but that's my opinion of it. If you really want the low-mid power, a Twin Screw has improvements over Roots for street use, Roots are better if you're going for big power gains in a racing application.

[sly]

I still haven't gotten to any engine mods on my 88 (now 6 years in the DD service). I even had the top end HO conversion parts except for a cam. I finally gave up on that after the car was totaled and now I'm just driving it until it dies. Beater gonna beat.

[Midnight Drifter]

God do I hate HOAs.

[Mainemantom]

Since when do neighbors have the authority to tell you that you can't do an engine swap in the driveway? If mine tried to tell me to stop working on my car in the driveway i'd tell them to go fuck themselves.

If you live in a private community with CCRs The community can tell you what to do, or impose a fine. I lived in one for awhile. Could not work on the car in the driveway, could not park on the street (the street was owned by the community) There were certain colors that only could be used to paint the houses. grass had to cut. Private communities are nice if you don't work on cars.

[miamibob]

May I refer you to:



I'm not a child, I'm not stupid, and I'm not crazy.

We seem to be a little sensitive here. You asked for our thoughts and then bristle when you get them. Most of us have been "at this" a lot longer than you so we are giving helpful info based upon our collective experiences. You are certainly free to do as you wish. You stated your repair experience is limited so hence my suggestions. So unless you have VERY deep pockets your list is probably not feasible (will you have the car in 5 or 10 years??). Didn't mean to upset you - just stating reality. Since I can no longer be helpful, I am off this thread!!

[ootdega]

I understand that the supercharger is going to be by far the most complicated and expensive addition. It's one of the very last things I intend to do because of that, and I won't even attempt it until I fully understand everything I need to do and how to do it. Even then, I'll probably at least borrow another car until it's completely done and done right.

My initial estimate for everything on the list, as I understand it right now, is about $15,000 when all is said and done, but it'll probably end up considerably more than that. Either way, none of this is going to happen quickly or easily. With the money I have to live on, I have to prioritize everything I need very carefully, and this is no exception. For example, right now the priority is getting new tires before winter, and the alternator conversion after that so I won't have to freeze my ass off like last year.

I've been getting increasingly frustrated at the "do this" and "get this" answers I typically get (from various sources), often followed by telling me what to do. I greatly appreciate the comprehensive explanation. You've provided a lot of very clear information and I'm exceptionally grateful.

I also appreciate your empathy and objectivity. Thank you.

[Hearsesrock427]

@ootdega: At least you've got a realistic timetable for those nice-to-have upgrades. In my seemingly infinite naivete, I thought I'd have long tubes, true duals, digidash, GT-40P heads, and a trak-lok all installed on my car by the beginning of August. As of August 6th, I haven't even acquired the headers, the trak-lok, or the GT-40Ps- let alone made arrangements to get them put on. It's astounding how slow progress can be in reality verus how you concieved it months ago. Ask me how I know. Haha.

I just read your list of planned mods on page 2. Definitely liking the sound of some of the stuff. Especially the integral roll cage. Might as well throw on some subframe connectors while you're there, seeing as how you'd need to weld some of the bars of the cage to something solid and strong (usually the frame of the vehicle). I also like the two core radiator- it pays to have an extra layer of security during those WOT runs/general hooning on your favorite roads.

And then we have the supercharger. Let the nerd-gasm begin.

There's plenty of ways to go about this. Want more low and mid range? Get a twin-screw. Want more top end? Get a centrifugal. And so on. But then there's the mechanics behind the forced induction to contend with:

-The SD EFI will definitely not like it. Unless you do some serious custom chip burning, of course. You'd need a custom tune, something that'd likely take hours upon hours of tweaking. With Speed Density, there are literally thousands of values that can be changed. (MAF has even more!). Of course, there's always a way to do things faster and cheaper at the expense of quality and/or refinement. There's a potential shortcut in the form of a custom tune that tells the Manifold Absolute Pressure (MAP) sensor to always read zero. You have to play with other sensors too IIRC. This is obviously not a good idea if you want to have good fuel economy AND good power, but that's what happens when you mix forced induction, generally unadaptive EFI, and wanting to do things on the cheap and/or fast. Seeing as how you plan on using Mass Air, this really isn't an issue. But it's still not a simple "Throw on MAF+Supercharger, then go fast long time!" deal. Not at all.

-Even if you use a MAF, I wouldn't be 100% confident in its ability to compensate for all that extra air, fuel, and spark on its own. A custom tune would, at the very least, maximize your possible gains from the power adder+MAF combo. You may also need to upgrade your engine management system to something newer- I'm not sure the EEC-IV could handle all that extra air, fuel, and spark. Doing so would not only let you run your power adder, but it'd also likely allow you to fine-tune the system more easily. IE: You won't need to keep re-burning chips. It'd be more of a plug in, edit code and values, then test type deal. (There's obviously a lot more to it than that, as I'm sure you know.)

You can say that you're neither childish nor stupid nor crazy, and sincerely mean it when you say it. And I know you mean it.

But if you're anything like me, you'll end up contradicting those statements before you even finish placing an order for more parts. BTDT. I've already spent more than twice I intended on spending on Ebyt's build. You will likely end up doing the same for Monolith. It's just a hot-rodding thing, I guess. More importantly, it's nothing to be ashamed, defensive, or anything but proud of. Just don't break the bank, haha.

[ootdega]

I think using your car as a DD AND doing all the upgrades/changes you have listed will be virtually impossible. My suggestion is to do whatever work makes the car safe and reliable. Most of the stuff you listed are "nice to haves" and perhaps listed after seeing what folks here have done. If you can do a certain project yourself or have the funds to have it done, fine. If not, don't make yourself crazy and simply do maintenance Setting lofty goals is cool but over doing it just sets you up for frustration. For example, I would LOVE to replace the heater core in my '87 and '95 GM's but I am not physically up to doing it and it doesn't pay for me to have it done. I realize living here makes that decision easy but it is merely an example.

May I refer you to:

This is going to be at least five years in the making. Probably ten.

I'm not a child, I'm not stupid, and I'm not crazy.