What have you done to your wagon lately? (Let's keep the thread going!)

Dang! That is looking real good! I like what you have done with it.

 

I'm using the Fuel Command Center: The mechanics didn't like the idea of running that much rubber back to the tank pressurized, so we did the FCC up in the engine compartment instead. They still had to drop the tank and run a return line (low pressure) to it.
The FiTech has been a real mixed bag. Now that it's working, the car is super smooth, but it was a real challenge to get here. The major issues were:

• They seem to have a lot of info online, but it's scattered and disjointed.
• The system doesn't start 'learning' until the engine temp hits 170 : Even this info seems kind of hidden. Many older cars have 160 thermometers and no temp gauge, or just a dummy light (like mine) : After install, I had no idea the car was never hitting temp (and starting to learn) until I wired in the handheld controller. It was running really weird for a long time because of it. Then, of course, I had to replace the thermostat to get the engine temp up.
• With the engine temp higher, it started stressing out the old radiator, which I then got replaced (which is a good idea anyway).
• They shipped me an EFI unit with known bad firmware: Once it did started learning, the whole system crashed about 10 miles in based on a bug in the software, leaving me stranded. Had to get it towed to a shop, and at this point we had no idea what was wrong. Took weeks of troubleshooting to figure out the firmware was bad.
• The main problem is, nowhere in the docs (printed, or online) does it ever say "check your firmware version, and make sure you're running version X before install". When I finally got with Fitech support, they sent me the instructions on how to update the firmware, which went off without a hitch, and fixed the problem.
• Fitech support is very hard to get a hold of. My average wait time was half an hour on the phone.

So for anyone thinking about doing this setup : Make sure you have a 175+ thermostat in your car, and make sure you have the latest known good firmware pushed onto the EFI before you install it, since nowhere in the directions does it tell you to do either of these two things :S

 

There’s only one way to find out! It outta be painted green and have a “re-made in American” sticker on the bell housing or oil pan maybe?

 

Well, the seller messaged me saying the car sold. Dunno if he's telling the truth or not, when I looked at the car at the side of the road there was a doggone card blocking the VIN. EDIT: The car's not parked there anymore.

On a Wagon related note, I finally realized my Father had an 89 Caprice Estate when I was a kid; out of all the 77-90 Caprice models, the 89s are the only year to have 3-point belts in the middle while at the same time not having frontal belts attached to the doors.

On yet another topic, my Father got the 89 in 1990 or 1991; not long after it was manufactured. He had to replace the transmission shortly after purchase. Why do 80s-90s Chevrolets seem to have questionable transmissions, is it just me? I looked in the 84 Caprice Owner's Manual and it said the ATF didn't have to be replaced "until 100k miles" which I think was a goofy recommendation; that's even on old Dexron II, not III!

 

A) transmission fluid used to be lifetime fill, until the sperm whale oil was removed, then it only lasted 100K, unless you got the temp above 170*F., which would effectively cut it's life in half;
B) ever since the late Seventies, all manufacturer's transmissions were built as light as possible, with the lightest materials available, and they just could not hold up to real-world conditions. Look at all the transmissions that were repaired under warranty. After an accident a few months into Mom's ownership, her 1980 C-10 Silverado started eating transmissions, and it took three tries to make it keep working. The truck still is on the road now, with one engine and one trans replacement since that accident in late '80.

 

Spent the last two days at the Syracuse Nationals. Tons of great pre 85 vehicles and lots of Wagons but this 53 Chevy Wagon was one of my favorites.

 

When and why was this done?

 

Early Seventies, after treaties had been signed banning uncontrolled whaling. Since then, anything sperm whale oil was used for, a synthesized product has replaced it. But, for whatever reason, the oil companies have not used the synthesized replacement in today's ATFs.

 

Man, that is cool! Probably the only one like it in existence. Thanks for sharing.

 

That signing was only pure symbolism, since mainly Japan has continued business as usual. So, now Japan gets to have it contained in their tranny oil and nobody else does. We, here in the E.U., might be able to get it, since a new trade treaty has been signed with Japan, recently

 

This especially. The TH400 used to be the GM heavy duty passenger car and truck transmission of choice. It eats up about 25-30HP off the engine just to keep it running. In the world of lighter and lighter cars with smaller and smaller engines that needed to make better and better fuel economy, it was phased out starting in 1975 on medium duty cars and was gone from passenger cars by 1977. GM trucks of the 1/2 ton variety went to TH350s around the same time and the TH200 was used in passenger cars. Only the big 3/4 & 1 ton trucks still used the TH400 up through 1990. The TH200-4R and later 700R4 were just... not up to the task of passenger car duty and light truck duty. They did eventually work out the kinks and bugs by the mid 1980s - later Grand National 200-4Rs are decent units... almost 10 years after they introduced the tranny but by then the RWD cars were being phased out.

GM would have saved a big on warranty repairs and kept a TON of customer good will and faith by keeping the TH350 in their passenger car lines with a slightly deeper 1st gear and a final 2.41-2.56 rear end instead of going for a transmission that was weaker and poorly understood by the mechanics working on it. For all the "problems" the late '60s through mid '70s cars had... their drivetrains were fairly stout if you kept up on the maintenance. The '80s cars were just flat out awful and a crap shoot for so many people.

 

Believe it or not, Mom's '80 C10 Silverado had a 305 with a T250 transmission, which, after the first time the truck was hit by a drunk driver several months after purchase, it ended up having problem after problem, and was rebuilt two or three, perhaps even four, times to correct those problems. Funny thing: that truck had that drivetrain, but Chevrolet had it marked as a "Heavy Half!" I cannot see how such a lightweight of a truck could do heavy work back then. Nowadays, it still lives, in the possession of friends of mom and Dad's down in Mexico, with a 250 CID six and T350, and it does fairly heavy work. It also had its original silver/charcoal grey covered in bright yellow, with the moniker "Bomba Amarilla."

 

Got my Centerlines on it Now to get the grill replaced and a few minor details and she’s ready for a few car shows before summers up

 

Looking good Swanny. It's had to believe that we're already closing in on autumn!