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September 1, 2010
There’s More Than One Way To Pull A Fiero Motor
By Ted Berner
GTwildfire
Last Sunday was a day I have looked forward to for some time. After realizing that my Fiero’s original four banger had a previously undetected crankshaft problem, I decided to yank it. I scored an ’86 Fiero GT parts car and stripped it like a chicken leg. The V6 now slated for my ride had some broken exhaust bolts, that and my schedule meant more prep and made me wait. I hate waiting. Read more…
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August 24, 2010
Lessons Learned: Respect Your Hunches, But Try Simple Fixes First
By Jen Dunnaway
Editor
Ever get a non-running car all the hell apart only to find that the remedy is something you could’ve taken care of in five minutes? Here’s how my awesome learning experience, straight out of the no-shit-Sherlock school of automotive troubleshooting, unfolded: my Escort GT had a no-start condition yesterday morning when I went to leave for work, and was exhibiting some very strange electrical symptoms. Interior lights worked, door buzzer worked, but when you went to turn the ignition it would kill everything and the dash would go dark. Then when you backed the key off, even weirder things would happen, like the radio display flashing on and off. What the hell? Continue reading…
Continue reading "Lessons Learned: Respect Your Hunches, But Try Simple Fixes First" »
August 16, 2010
Automotive Trim: Sweat The Details, Make The Difference
By Ted Berner
GTwildfire
I’m renewing the look of a 350-dollar 1990 Volvo 240 I found for my sister. This car has many minor things that needed attention, and one of them was the faded, scratched and chipped trim around the windows and lower body. Never underestimate the importance of having good-looking trim; you can have great, even new paint but bad trim will draw all the attention. Fixing this is inexpensive but takes a little effort and a little know-how. Continue reading…
Continue reading "Automotive Trim: Sweat The Details, Make The Difference" »
August 3, 2010
Does This Look Like Fun Or What? Epic 700-R4 Rebuild Tutorial
By Jen Dunnaway
Editor
I’ve had a lot of stuff completely the hell apart, but automatic transmissions are a continuing mystery to me, and frankly, the idea of having one in pieces all over the bench is just a little intimidating. That’s where Jeff Bradley from Bradley’s Transmission Service in Indianapolis comes in. He’s doing a complete tear-down and rebuild of the GM 700-R4 overdrive tranny, and has documented all of it in exquisite detail on BangShift, complete with encyclopedic photo coverage and instructions. This goldmine of knowledge may not be exactly transferable to your own application, but it provides some really detailed insight into A/T mechanics and operation, and a lot of “oh, so that’s what that looks like” moments. Take a look at the initial disassembly, then read on as the rebuild unfolds. And stay tuned for the finale of this ongoing project!
June 30, 2010
Introduction to Ignition Timing
By David Clarke
highspeedhijinks
Cars today pretty much run themselves. Outfitted with an army of computers, they take any chance for bench top tuning out of your hands and make you rely on chip manufacturers or professionals with laptops. Either way, you can’t just pop the hood, make some tweaks and go racing. Well, I’m not here to talk about those cars. Quite a few of you on here still run a good old carburetor and distributor with infinite options for hands-on tuning. So today I’m going to teach you how to time your distributor-equipped engine using the most popular engine out there: a Chevy 350. Hit the jump for the complete tutorial.
June 29, 2010
Engine Building Tips Part 1: Oiling System, Valvetrain Stabilizers, and Geometry
powerTV Media
You probably know Dart Machinery for their high-end race parts like billet blocks and 500-plus-CFM cylinder heads, but you might not realize that this company was born in Richard Maskin’s two-car garage during 1981. Though Dart has grown to an industry giant, they have never forgotten their roots.
Today they’re still supporting racers at every level with three decades of experience building horsepower and durability. You might not be building a Pro Stock motor in your own garage, but the lessons Maskin and his crew have learned from hard experience in NHRA and on the dyno can make your project more successful. In this first series of tech videos and how-tos, we had a chance to pick Dart’s brain to come up with engine-building advice that anyone can use. Read more…
June 16, 2010
Damaged Bolt Hole Repair Cheat Sheet
By Ted Berner
GTwildfire
In the course of preparing the V6 destined for the Fiero, I found it had three broken header bolts. Two of the holes ended up pretty messed up because the easy outs, and everything else I threw at the broken bits, did not work well. I had to make pretty large holes to get them clean enough for tapping, so I used the method described in the diagram below–install an oversized bolt and then make that the sleeve for the new correct-sized bolt that you tap and thread into its center. It worked beautifully, and if there’s ever a problem with these holes in the future, the resulting threaded sleeves can likely be removed pretty easily, and a replacement prepped using the same method.
April 28, 2010
CarDomain Wants You To Do It Yourself
By Jen Dunnaway
Editor
We’ve had a lot of great How To‘s in the blog recently, including Dave’s tutorial on wrapping headers and Chris’s epic power disc brake conversion. Looking over these, I’m reminded that the single best thing you can do in this hobby is to help other people work on their own cars. Whether it’s coaching your kid sister through her first oil change or posting up a detailed install for your forum buddies to learn from, empowering fellow and future gearheads with knowledge is the way you earn your automotive angel wings. So, in the interests of that: got any recent or planned mods or installs you’d like to write up for the CarDomain blog? We’re looking for well-photographed, clearly written How To’s on basically any automotive topic, big or small, to post right here for the CarDomain community. It can be anything from a simple wiring project to a full engine rebuild–the idea is to help enthusiasts at all levels of ability–so if you’ve done it and photographed it, we want to hear about it. Get in touch in the comments or via PM and let us know what you want to post, and we’ll set you up as a contributor!
April 22, 2010
Caliper Painting On The Cheap
Bick66
When I could no longer stand the sight of the Corvette’s drab and discolored front calipers, I decided it was time for a quick fix. Though I was initially a little wary of 20-dollar kit I picked up from the local parts store, the outcome ended up being a lot better than I expected. Read below the jump to see just how easy and inexpensive it is to dress up your ride with a little caliper paint.
April 19, 2010
How To Wrap Exhaust Headers
By David Clarke
highspeedhijinks
A while ago I asked a question whether I should go with wrapped or coated headers for my Boxy Brown. I took everyone’s opinions into consideration, but in the end I decided to stick with my first choice and wrap my then recently acquired headers. In choosing to wrap, I prioritized underhood heat reduction–a definite issue for my hot-running crate motor with the old cast iron manifolds–over simply looking good and being shiny, which is the most you can expect from many of the header coatings on the market. Now, not only are my headers wrapped but they’re on the car and looking great, so now is as good a time as any to tell you just how I did it. Below the jump is the process I used, with corresponding pics for each step, along with helpful hints that might help you avoid some of the pitfalls I walked into.
