II Much progress

[parsonsj]

I'm finally settling in down here in sunny (and f'ing hot!!) Florida. I figure it's time for an update on what's going on with the car and me.

The house here in Florida doesn't have a basement, so I've been given the whole 3 car garage for workspace. (in my old house, I had one bay of the garage and a shop in the basement separated by a flight of stairs and a 50 foot walk). Overall, I have less space to work, but I think I'll be more efficient since it won't automatically be true that what I need is where I'm not. I've got a whole lot of organizing to do to get going on the car again. Oh ... and I've been given clearance from the Finance Committee to buy a full-size mill. So that helps even out the deal a little bit too.

Anyway, with the car, it has become increasingly hard to get started. I am using the MSD 6010 LS1 ignition controller along with Holley's 950 EFI ECU. For whatever reason, the 6010 wouldn't put out an RPM signal that the 950 recognized. At least consistently. Occasionally it would, and then the car would start and run nicely. The whole experience has been very frustrating, and pretty hard on the starter and battery. I managed to borrow a scope from work, and it showed no signal on the RPM output wire from the 6010. So I've sent the box back to MSD to check out. Doug Flynn at Holley also volunteered to look over the 950 box for me just in case. I hope to have the boxes back late next week to continue testing.

I've also been trying out FAST's eDIST and Universal Crank Decoder (UCD) and trying to interface that with the 950. Using that, I get a consistent signal recognized by the 950, but the engine timing is way off. I need to put a scope on that signal to figure out more. My preference would be to run the FAST since that way I'll have one computer for both the spark and fuel instead of one for each.

I'll post a new update when I get the boxes back.

jp

[jannes_z-28]

Mixing systems can be tricky, usually none of the manufacturers take full responsibillity because they can blame the "other" part. Seeing that often in the graphic industry in my work.

Keep it up, you will eventually get it right.


Jan

[ProdigyCustoms.com]

I pulled ours off John, did everything you are doing, TWICE! Put a carb on it, ran perfect! If you decide to do a FAST, let me know, I am WD. Bet we can have you running in a day, I guarentee it.

BTW, I am back now for a day before I leave for Bahama's. , give me a call.

four zero seven 832 1752

[69rs]

Frank, you're back from the Tour?!?

[trapin]

John...why the move to Florida? Job relocation? Sick of the weather?

[ProdigyCustoms.com]

Yeah Jim, rumor is Charlie Tuna kept us up to late at the local adult entertainment club, and Lisa and I could not wake up. So lisa and i headed home and are going to the Bahamas for a few days. power Tour is cool, but just not the same without the hotrods.

[parsonsj]

Hi Frank,
Very cool. I'll call you tomorrow. We can talk through some options, including a carburetor.

Tony,
My wife was relocated here for work. We work for the same company so I get to keep my current job and do it from my house. I brought a small Unix lab with me so I'm all set.

jp

[Steve68]

Fella's we need to do a get together, JP you live 20 minutes from me, hope to see converse soon, Welcome to FL,

[parsonsj]

Hey Steve, sounds good. I understand Frank keeps beer in his fridge.

jp

[69rs]

Yeah Jim, rumor is Charlie Tuna kept us up to late at the local adult entertainment club, and Lisa and I could not wake up. So lisa and i headed home and are going to the Bahamas for a few days. power Tour is cool, but just not the same without the hotrods.
I heard that about him! He's bad news! Have fun in the Bahamas but not so much that you oversleep!

[Steve68]

Oh,Hell ya he does!!! he and I and Kevin and Kevins, step Dad were killing them last Friday, we'll I was also assembling too, but I was keeping a level head,

Rumor has it if there's beer in a body shop steer clear, but I find that totally wrong!!!

I've known Frank for almost 10 years, didn't see him a whole lot, but Friday night he was just plain worn out, and I mean WORN out !!!!,

Let get together soon, Steve

[parsonsj]

Frank and Michael dropped by yesterday to see the car and offer some advice on getting it up and running.

It was great to meet them (I'd only spoken with Frank with on the phone). I showed by in-laws the PHR with Bill's GTO in it so they'd know what a talented guy they'd just met. Anyway, we're working up a plan to get this damn car running sooner rather than later ... stay tuned.

jp

[Steve68]

Need any help I'm 25 mins away, I can take direction with the best of them,

[parsonsj]

Steve,

thanks, I appreciate the offer. I may need a "trailer loader". That's someone adept at pushing a car on to a trailer. That's all the traveling this car has done so far ...

On the trailer, off the trailer. The brakes work good from 3 mph to 0. :)

jp

[Steve68]

My dad owned a garage from the time I was 9 till 14, I pushed so many car, I could push the QEII, all you have to do is call, and I'll be there, hey ain't that a song, check the PM box for a#,

[parsonsj]

OK, here's the latest updates.

First, living in Florida can be very exciting. They took a 9 foot alligator from the little pond next to my house. The trapper dude came out and caught it with a fishing pole! At one point during the capture, he had the gator snagged with a pole with a noose attached to it and was dragging it up the bank that way. He was no more than 3 feet away from a pissed-off gator with only a pole for a weapon! Me: I was 50 feet away hiding in my screen room.

But anyway, back to the car: Frank from Prodigy Customs has introduced me to Hartline Performance (http://www.hartlineperformance.com)from nearby Melbourne. Now I have an expert helping me. I'm going back to the FAST setup, including an XFI ECU. During the next couple of days, I'll pull the MSD ignition out, and get the harness built to go with FAST's ECU. Cal Hartline will come to my house and get me setup and running with a FAST. I may have a running car at last!

More to come soon, I'm sure.

jp

[69Nova]

Thats awsome to hear John.

[Bill Howell]

OK, here's the latest updates.

First, living in Florida can be very exciting. They took a 9 foot alligator from the little pond next to my house. The trapper dude came out and caught it with a fishing pole! At one point during the capture, he had the gator snagged with a pole with a noose attached to it and was dragging it up the bank that way. He was no more than 3 feet away from a pissed-off gator with only a pole for a weapon! Me: I was 50 feet away hiding in my screen room.

But anyway, back to the car: Frank from Prodigy Customs has introduced me to Hartline Performance (http://www.hartlineperformance.com)from nearby Melbourne. Now I have an expert helping me. I'm going back to the FAST setup, including an XFI ECU. During the next couple of days, I'll pull the MSD ignition out, and get the harness built to go with FAST's ECU. Cal Hartline will come to my house and get me setup and running with a FAST. I may have a running car at last!

More to come soon, I'm sure.

jp


WHAT?? No gators in Maryland? :D
Just think of them as a big geico or maybe a huge lizard!

[Steve68]

Cal knows his sheeot, he tuned the DFI I had bought for my car, but I didn't use it, but the car was fast,

[Steve68]

Oh yea Gator shmater, don't feed them, keep the kids and dogs away, I wanna see II much running around east Orlando

[nancejd]

I think you should just make some gator skin seat covers for the car John.

[parsonsj]

Well, if me and the gator tangled, I think he'd be putting some Yankee hides on his hotrod, not the other way around. :)

Latest update: I think I've got a complete FAST harness built now ... CPU, wide-band sensor, and base map should be here today. Frank and I are gonna give it a go tonight.

I hope to make some noise for a change.

jp

[Steve68]

Let me know what happens I can come over to particapate if needed,

[nancejd]

So are you going to drive II Much out to Washington next year then?

[parsonsj]

Well ...

It runs!!!!

Finished up the harness this afternoon, picked up a FAST ECU from an astonished wife (husband forgot to tell her I would be by to get it), screwed around with ground and switched power connections ... a little of this, and a little of that ... and it runs! Better than that, it starts right up!

Months of frustration have melted away. I've been trying to get to this point since April.

Many many thanks to Frank Serafine of ProdigyCustoms and Cal at Hartline Performance. I'm running a FAST XFI setup now. It's friggin awesome.

Tomorrow it goes on the chassis dyno for tuning. Then alignment, and I can drive this damned car!

I did get to meet a neighbor ... she was a little concerned about the "noise". It's all Frank's fault ... he couldn't keep his hands off the throttle. Of course she was also spitting in our bushes earlier today (so says my wife), so I'm thinking we might have a lasting relationship with them. Or it may be she was really on edge because of Bill's big-ass trailer parked out front. I think a few burnouts in front of her house will be the hot ticket for summer fun.

Hopefully the clutch works ... I've never tested it. We'll see soon enough. Bill may actually get his trailer back soon now!

jp

[ProdigyCustoms.com]

Yup, there goes the neighborhood. Ole Parson's lives there for 2 months, I am there for 2 hours and we get the welcoming commity! I don't know exactly what she said to John, I stayed with the car coward i am. I think she said, "that thing sounds awesome, could you rev it again!" "And BTW, welcome to the neighborhood, we just love loud race cars". Or, "that thing makes II Much (get it, II Much) noise"

She was ugly also!

[Brian Schein]

Did you get the alternator problem figured out.

Ill be down sometime this fall for a ride.
Brian

[parsonsj]

Hey Brian,

Not sure about the alternator. I've been keeping the battery charged with a battery charger connected to the wall ...

I'm gonna see if the clutch works now.

jp

[Steve1968LS2]

Yup, there goes the neighborhood. Ole Parson's lives there for 2 months, I am there for 2 hours and we get the welcoming commity! I don't know exactly what she said to John, I stayed with the car coward i am. I think she said, "that thing sounds awesome, could you rev it again!" "And BTW, welcome to the neighborhood, we just love loud race cars". Or, "that thing makes II Much (get it, II Much) noise"

She was ugly also!

You should have seen my neighbors when I unloaded Penny.. lol.. one asked me when I was putting mufflers on it.. I said "it already has them.." :lol:

John,

Congrats on hitting this milestone.. that's going to be one bad ass ride when done, even if it does have 18-inch wheels.. :whip:

[CAMAROBOY69]

Well ...

It runs!!!!

Finished up the harness this afternoon, picked up a FAST ECU from an astonished wife (husband forgot to tell her I would be by to get it), screwed around with ground and switched power connections ... a little of this, and a little of that ... and it runs! Better than that, it starts right up!

Months of frustration have melted away. I've been trying to get to this point since April.

Many many thanks to Frank Serafine of ProdigyCustoms and Cal at Hartline Performance. I'm running a FAST XFI setup now. It's friggin awesome.

Tomorrow it goes on the chassis dyno for tuning. Then alignment, and I can drive this damned car!

I did get to meet a neighbor ... she was a little concerned about the "noise". It's all Frank's fault ... he couldn't keep his hands off the throttle. Of course she was also spitting in our bushes earlier today (so says my wife), so I'm thinking we might have a lasting relationship with them. Or it may be she was really on edge because of Bill's big-ass trailer parked out front. I think a few burnouts in front of her house will be the hot ticket for summer fun.

Hopefully the clutch works ... I've never tested it. We'll see soon enough. Bill may actually get his trailer back soon now!

jp
COngrats JP. I have been watching this build forever waiting for the moment you drive it. Your sooo close please give us some video or pics. Or is the car still considered confidential until it sees ink?

[Steve68]

I hear the same crap from my a##holes, I mean neighbors, but I let them drink all night, yell, scream, play there loud stereos, but I don't feel one bit of remorse when I fire up the Nova at 7am,

[ProdigyCustoms.com]

II Much was doing burnouts today! Otherwise i am sworn to secrecy

[race-rodz]

neighbors??? what are those...i dont have any within 1/2 mile:Flipoff:


oh yeah...maybe i should mention they live that far away and still hate me:bthumb:

[69Nova]

II Much was doing burnouts today! Otherwise i am sworn to secrecy

Oh I want to see!!!

[69rs]

II Much was doing burnouts today! Otherwise i am sworn to secrecy
Frank, you are as bad as Bill when it comes to secrets!

[parsonsj]

Yup, the car comes to life immediately with the touch of a key. Gotta love EFI for that.

There are still some kinks to work out: the Holley IAC doesn't seem to work, or perhaps it doesn't work with the FAST XFI. So we disabled it, and that might be OK forever here in sunny Florida. I'm going to eventually try and debug that, but for now I'm off to "finalize" all the wiring.

And yes, the car is capable of burnouts. The clutch is a puzzle ... I couldn't get the car to move, but Mike Norris (dyno owner) ran it through the gears fine on the dyno, and in the parking lot. I did do an emergency "adjustment" of the clutch pedal before Mike tried it out, so maybe I fixed it. All of my welds seem to be holding up at WOT, and the car amazed a couple of by-standers with its small turning radius.

The car looks small with its narrow body and low stance ... somebody said it looked 7/8 scale.

Next, I need to get it aligned, so I don't ruin the tires in a couple of hundred miles. Frank (ProdigyCustoms) knows everybody in Florida, and he's been amazing with getting me "connected" down here. He's got a friend with an alignment shop that's going to look at it to see if he can do it. If not, time for the plumb bob and level alignment.

jp

[astroracer]

That is KOOL John. I know what it feels like to have a project FINALLY coming together... It feels great doesn't it?
Mark

[parsonsj]

It feels great doesn't it?

It's like I'm dreaming. I'm trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I could take the car out for a spin RIGHT NOW. Un-friggin-believable!

jp

[alcino]

Congrats john. Does this mean PHR will be knocking at your door soon? Any track events planned? Probably should get it photographed while the paint is chipless.

You are still going to track it right?:stickpoke:

[parsonsj]

Take it to the track? You bet.

With a running car, I can finally predict an actual finish date, so all the rest will be planned soon.

jp

[radrambler]

jp

im sure you are floating 10 feet off the ground becuase the car drives......
glad to see you realize... THE DREAM IS REAL...ITS ALIVE!!!! ITS NOT JUST A PROJECT ITS A RUNNING DRIVING MACHINE ......:driving: :thumb:
congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THATS AWESOME.....cant wait to see it in person....

RADRAMBLER

[nancejd]

Congratulations John, I can't wait to see it in person.

[Steevo]

Two Words: Goodguys Columbus.

Congrats on getting the car fired.

[Steve68]

Good Job, John and Frank, and it helps to have people in the know, and just a couple of years ago, Frank was telling me about these new boards he was checking out, said oh, dive in you'll like it...

[jannes_z-28]

Congratulations!!


Nothing beats the sensational feeling when you get a project moving by its own power the first time. It makes all those hours of hard work worth every second.


Now I have to say: :needpics:



Jan

[Musclerodz]

Glad to hear it is finally moving under its own power. It is always a good day when you reach those milestones on a long project such as yours. :cheers:

Mike

[parsonsj]

Here's an update: the neighbor bitch who was so uptight about noise coming from my garage at 8 pm at night is ... ah, how to put it ... doesn't like men. She and her "friend" are renowned in the neighborhood for their lack of tolerance of anything masculine. As my wife put it: "guess I don't have to worry about you running off with either of them".

jp

[Lisa@GPSuperStore.com]

ha ha, Frank said she looked manly

[Steve68]

Tell her to go suck a root!! I be happy to come visit with the Nova, I very punctual around 6 am ish!!!

when you have acouple like that there's usually a cool one,

[Steevo]

Here's an update: the neighbor bitch who was so uptight about noise coming from my garage at 8 pm at night is ... ah, how to put it ... doesn't like men. She and her "friend" are renowned in the neighborhood for their lack of tolerance of anything masculine. As my wife put it: "guess I don't have to worry about you running off with either of them".
jp

Every neighborhood has one. My annoying neighbor is named Mean Mr. Mustard.

[Steve1968LS2]

Every neighborhood has one. My annoying neighbor is named Mean Mr. Mustard.

is that REALLY is name and was he ever a Colonel in the military? And does he have a CLUE.. lol

[Steevo]

I thought about putting it on his mailbox: Mustard, M.

[zbugger]

That's really great to hear it's running John. I can't wait to get mine going. Fortunately for me, I live in the ghetto, so I don't know how I could piss any neighbors off. Then again, they piss me off all the time, so running one of them down in my car is something I look forward to. I miss my baby!!!!

[parsonsj]

Thanks Z,

I've been working on getting my garage air conditioned over the past two weeks so that working on II Much doesn't leave me in a puddle of sweat within minutes. I've just installed a 200A box, and now a mini-split A/C system.

If you don't know what a mini-split air conditioner is, and you live in a place where some AC would be welcome, you need to check it out. The AC guy is coming out today to check the lines and charge it. Can't wait!

jp

[Bill Howell]

Thanks Z,

I've been working on getting my garage air conditioned over the past two weeks so that working on II Much doesn't leave me in a puddle of sweat within minutes. I've just installed a 200A box, and now a mini-split A/C system.

If you don't know what a mini-split air conditioner is, and you live in a place where some AC would be welcome, you need to check it out. The AC guy is coming out today to check the lines and charge it. Can't wait!

jp


Welcome to hel....I mean Florida John.....lol

[parsonsj]

If you don't know what a mini-split air conditioner is ...

It works! My garage is cooler than my office right now. The unit draws about 9A, so it shouldn't be hugely expensive. The AC guy that come out to charge and test the unit ended up taking the contact information so he could buy his own (he's a Mustang guy).

jp

[ProdigyCustoms.com]

How much for the unit John? How many tons?

[parsonsj]

1.5 tons --> $1300.

2 tons --> $1500

Units come with full installation kits, with free shipping. They use 25A 2 pole breakers.

http://www.ehomeair.com

It makes me laugh every time I walk out into the garage!

jp

[Steevo]

Beats workin on the car naked.
Pecker + welding splatter =

http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/234369/2/istockphoto_234369_sausages.jpg

[parsonsj]

oooh ... yowza.

That image will pucker your orifices.

[TonyL]

EEEEK

thanks for the visual steevo.

/**shudder**

[Steevo]

I'm sorry?

[Steve68]

A/C in thr garage, WTF, oh that reminds me, Frank is that unit fixed in the shop,

[ProdigyCustoms.com]

Yes it is Steve

[parsonsj]

Ah the sweet sound of a running car!

Just finished the final EFI wiring tonight. I made an all custom harness from the FAST universal kit along with a WiresAndPliers mil-spec firewall harness to replace my "get the bitch running" engine harness. I replaced the fuel pump controller with a simpler relay setup, (Frank: no more forgetting to turn on the fuel pump!) and put in a bulkhead connector to bring the WB O2 and tranny wires into the passenger compartment and on up to the XFI ECU. I also fixed the IAC connector that I managed to mess up when I swapped over to the XFI.

I guess the 3rd time is the charm, because it fired up on the first try and sat there idling like it had done that all along.

I started trying to get this thing running in April ... and it finally runs reliably in August. It's a good thing I have a day job!

jp

[Bill Howell]

Cool, I know it running has to be a relief. Now, I can probably find you a spare seat to use temporarally if you want to come to Pigeon Forge in Sept. to "sort it out" !:calledout: lol

Be sure and keep that "get the damn thing running" harness or get a good picture of it. We really need a tech article from you about the trial and tribulations of "Plug and Go" EFI and related wiring issues. :thumb:

[69Nova]

Congratulations John. Now whats next?

[ProdigyCustoms.com]

Be sure and keep that "get the damn thing running" harness or get a good picture of it. We really need a tech article from you about the trial and tribulations of "Plug and Go" EFI and related wiring issues. :thumb:

Actually bill I will be doing just that on the install of the FAST on Prodigy.