scaaaary

Whew...well, Im about to embark on a scary journey. Im gonna take all of your advice, and despite my lack of knowledge and experience, dive into my project head first. What Im askin' from you guys, is some suggestions on what I should do to the car while Im at it.
What NEEDS to be fixed:
Clutch (and all of the accessories of course, incl. resurfacing the flywheel)
Heater Core (great article in tech!!)
Valve work, head work, intake...few mods while I have the head off...suggestions? Kinda on a budget, but if I have to let it sit while I gather parts and $, I will.
Here's a pic of my bird!
Hopefully, I will be racing it in the Silver State Classic, September of next year!
Thanks in advance, and I hope you guys are in the helping mood, cause Im scared as hell to tear into this thing!!! lol

Well good luck on your project. I'd suggest always planning things out first before turning bolts and pulling things you aren't positive about. I didn't know close to sqaut when I got this car a while ago. But now I'm glad I waited a while before teaching myself and learning off this board. Heh, it seems that everyone that own's one of these cars instantly learns how to me a mechanic!

Looks like you've got all the backroads you need. And don't forget you can improve anything with duct tape. [Image: biggrin.gif] Depending on your budget I think Pete and a few other guys will do any porting/polishing you want done. Much better than some local shop since they've done it before and know what works.

Welcome and good luck with your project. Revamp is right, you need a plan and then explore the alternatives for getting there.
The cylinder head is crucial. Everything that has to do with making HP either goes in it, comes out of it, or bolts to it in a natter of speaking. First you need to decide exactly how you want to use the car (and not use it) and how much HP you want. Since money is an issue, it's even more important to have realistic, compatable goals and then develop a plan to get there. Start now because these kind of projects don't get done over night.

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NATO Member. it's not a vice, it's an obsession
"The nice thing about each new day is nobody ever used it before" Barnaby Jones
88 TC X 2, 86 SVO, mods list at
http://www.turbotbird.com/showroom/pd_88tc.htm

Nice looking TC. I hope you reach your goal with the Silver State Classic. I have been thinking about doing something like that myself. I'm going to be running some open track days with my TC next year. Good luck with your project.

Hawk

Hey thats a beauty, man. Best of luck with all the mods and work you plan to do. It looks to be one high-flyin' bird when your done. Best Of Luck. TJ

hey,where did u get your side skirts?

Thanks for all the good lucks, Im sure I'll need em!
Here's what I want...
I want my car to sound really good. I want in the ballpark of 250 hp (nothing extreme, I'd like to be able to run a low 14 possibly). I want an extremely nice ride with good handling. The car already has enough power to thrown me in the seat, so I'd call 250hp the realistic goal. I just really want a great reliable car with a little extra under the hood, nothing extreme. I'm thinkin' a K&N, Gillis valve, the 255hp walboro pump, maybe some head work. Im pretty happy with the IHI, although I may consider a T3. New hoses, belts...ya know, all of the precautionary maintenence things will be a big priority, cause like I said, reliability is very important. A big help would be, like I said, some suggestions, and perhaps an idea of what I can expect to gain from it. And maybe a good list of important tools to have. Cause I dont have any yet, Im expecting to put some $$$ into tools. Can't wait to start! Hope to hear from yas again soon...Thanks again!

P.S. - About the side skirts...I am the 2ns owner of the car, and my sound guy from my band was the 1st owner...bought it off the showroom floor in 1987...he swears the car came with the skirts already on it. I think they add a lot. I've seen similar things at JCWhitney (though I dont trust the quality of anything they sell due to bad experience) [Image: smile.gif]

Damn Skippy!

Skippy, Your goals are realistic. 250 HP is relatively easy to get to and not real expensive. You can at least come close with the IHI. I got 235 out of mine with the IHI and that is with no internal modifications, just the K&N, gillis and a good exhaust system including a 3" down pipe. I think with a ported E-6 and mild head work it would get close to 250. The porting work will allow you to take advantage of a bigger turbo should you decide to do it.

Tools, basic: These cars are a mixture of metric and SAE sized fastners.

Complete set of 6 point sockets in 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 drive, with extensions and universals. You might want to consider a set of 12 point metrics also as they use 12 points in some places (driveshaft, cylinder head bolts)

Metric and SAE combination wrenches. Get the combo open end and box wrenches.

The ususal assortment of screw drivers.
Various types and sizes of plyers.

I like Sears Craftsman tools. They may or maynot be the best and I'm not trying to start a debate. I like them because the quality is high and if it breaks I go Sears and they replace it free, no questions asked. I don't have wait a week for a truck that doesn't stop at my garage anyhow. If you work on cars you are going to break tools. It nice to get free replacments.

Other essential tools:
Timing light - don't spend a lot of money on it, the basic model works fine.

Floor jack and jack stands: Don't get the cheap floor jacks, they don't last.

A drop light.

vacuum gauge (under hood, cheap one)

Automotive stethescope - cheap $7-10

Cheap volt/ohm meter, digital would be better.

Code scanner for the EEC IV system. but see the articles in the Technical Articles.

Nice to have: Dremel Moto Tool
Anything you have ever seen in any tool catalog [Image: biggrin.gif]

There are things I left out that others will help fill in. Most of us can't get all the tools we want at one time. Start at the top of the list and work down. Good luck

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NATO Member. it's not a vice, it's an obsession
"The nice thing about each new day is nobody ever used it before" Barnaby Jones
88 TC X 2, 86 SVO, mods list at
http://www.turbotbird.com/showroom/pd_88tc.htm

Thanks a million Pete! I will work on aquiring tools while I'm developing a plan. I'm under the impression that you do head work? If that's something I may be considering, and you, having so much experience with these cars....maybe drop me an email telling me either what you charge, or refer me to someone closer that does good work (since we are so far away, with shipping and all). Anyways, about developing the master plan...should I decide what I want, then do some parts gathering until I have everything I need to complete the project before beginning, or should I buy a little bit at a time, and work that way? Maybe, if ya dont mind, you could give me a list of some things I SHOULD do that are precautionary maintanence type things, while I have the head off...that way I can start working on getting the things I KNOW I'm going to need. I have an idea, but specifics would be cool....
Thanks again!