BlackbirdWS6's Blown 1997 Firebird TA WS6 Convertible 6spd

[sweetbmxrider]

Love me a surprise package

[townsend]

id say the exhaust is hitting or something causing the false knock. i would disable the knock sensor except for wot values and limit it based on rpm.

i mean if you go holley, it goes away anyway.

[wretched73]

Any update warrior? Assuming leak free and a calendar full of car show dates?

[Blackbirdws6]

Originally Posted by townsend

id say the exhaust is hitting or something causing the false knock. i would disable the knock sensor except for wot values and limit it based on rpm.

i mean if you go holley, it goes away anyway.

Right. Exhaust seems to only have super tight clearance getting over the axle but otherwise seems clear everywhere else.

Originally Posted by wretched73

Any update warrior? Assuming leak free and a calendar full of car show dates?

Photobucket is being a piece of trash so no pics right now but here is a run down for the peanut gallery.

- Everything is back together, runs, drives!

- New tires were purchased installed all around. I ended up with the same tire sizes as prior (285/30 Fr, 305/30 R) and selected Nankang CR-S V2s for front and the new Hoosier Track Attack Pros. Prior tires were Nitto Invos up front and Toyo R888 (R888Rs weren't out when I first purchased). Front tires are overkill for how I use the car but given I don't put a ton of miles on it, why not have the grip.

- Repolished the CCWs - They are exposed aluminum and while looked good, I know they could be better. Took my wheels to two places that polish wheels and both basically turned me away. Ended up just buying a new polishing product and giving it a go myself.

- UMI upper panhard bar replaced...just cause everything else is "upgraded"

- Removed years of rubber from the rear fender wells. Pulling off layers of cooked rubber was oddly cathartic

- Installed replacement magnaflow bullet muffler for the mufflex system. For those unaware, the car would spit black specks on start-up until the exhaust was warmed enough. Drove me nuts and I was convinced the muffler must be packed with the horrors of my oil consumption issues in the past. Since replacing the muffler and mild cleaning on the inside of the Y pipe etc., she isn't spitting black anymore. I cut the old muffler open and the insulation was totally coated so I'd say that was the smoking gun.

Drove the car this past weekend and everything worked as it should. I had initially planned to ease into the power however an enthusiastic Toyota FR-S driver "forced" me to break the rear tires in sooner than expected as I got onto 195. I took a peek under the car yesterday and everything looks dry....fingers crossed, knock on wood, pray to the car gods etc.

Currently debating replacement for the very old yellow top battery (10 yrs old?) which has served me well but I think this is getting a little "tired". May go with a red top replacement, another yellow or another brand.

[Blackbirdws6]

Oh and to add - I semi-impulsively purchased a Holley Dominator, harness and other items from EFI Connection (guys who sold me the 24x 0411 setup on the OG Blower Build).

Main reason to head in that direction is ease of tuning, ability to reduce various controllers for items like the trans pump, 2 step, etc, and safety features. My biggest nitpick was making sure I retained the factory cluster. I like the big holley screens but I haven't seen a bezel setup that would go with....plus this isn't a race car.

[wretched73]

I wouldn't recommend an Optima. They haven't been made in the USA for a long time.

Deka and Odyssey are the cat's meow. You could spend 3 times the amount to save half a pound in weight.

[Blackbirdws6]

Originally Posted by wretched73

I wouldn't recommend an Optima. They haven't been made in the USA for a long time.

Deka and Odyssey are the cat's meow. You could spend 3 times the amount to save half a pound in weight.

So I hear....odyssey has been getting some attention today.

[LTb1ow]

16v lithium.

Do it.

[wretched73]

Originally Posted by LTb1ow

16v lithium.

Do it.

How does Holley like 16v?

[Blackbirdws6]

So what do you do when you have a pretty decently running and driving car....you make it not run in the spirit of potential improvement.

While the last tuning done by EFX on the 0411 LS based PCM was the best its been from prior outfits, there were still some drivability quirks that detracted from it being the street car I want it to be. Also any changes prompted the need for a retune which required the $700+ fees to be paid for the dyno session which has been hit or miss over the years. Lastly, having some safety mechanisms beyond some tuning workarounds was appealing as I'm not looking to purchase a new engine just yet.

So with that, I chatted with Mike at EFI Connection who supplied my original 24x system with goals of a plug and play harness using a Holley platform and retaining my factory gauges. I selected the Dominator unit because this is how I am as a person and his harness coupled with a dakota digital box to handle the gauges. I was able to procure a design file to have the PCM mounted in the factory location since the Dominator can live in the elements so to speak.

I enlisted Mr. Holley (LTs1ow) to help with the install as the other benefit of the new computer is getting rid of a lot of control systems on the car since it can handle it all. Over a couple of days and trip to Hobby Town for a connector or two, the new system was installed, global repository tune loaded and the car fired up. Wild....



3D mount via KirkEvil








Click for noise
PXL_20260427_160034974

The following systems are now controlled by the Holley

• Meth Injection
• Transmission Pump
• 2nd Fuel Pump

The system is wired for an E85 Flex sensor so if I upgrade the fuel system that will be in play.

Other fun stuff

• Tachometer setup went smoothly but had some challenges trying to sort out the MPH on the factory dash plus also holley given some needs for reverse lockout and fan control logic. After trying a few configurations, ultimately I ended up running the VSS from the trans to the Holley, Holley to the Dakota box and then to factory gauges. I learned more than I care to admit regarding frequency and rotations per mile. Works great now so that's all that matters.
• During first remote tuning session, seems I was having a fuel issue which I thought was due to perhaps old pumps finally getting tired. Turned out to be a basic wiring whoopsie where trigger for the second pump needed to be a ground trigger vs a positive one. Before finding this out, I decided to rip out the fuel pump sending unit with Chris and proactively replace the fuel pumps. After a bunch of snafus from Summit, new pumps went in and all was working.

Thanks Summit....wrong pumps




Since I no longer needed a vacuum/boost block, I removed this and cleaned up the engine bay a little bit. Def a nice change and gives access where little (still little) existed prior.







Also saw this while under the car....can't believe this failed after being babied all these years...



Might as well go billet/delrin - oh but no they won't work with where the rear mounts are so more money needed to be spent. Super cool.



So on to the tuning. I used Kohler's tuner and very happy with the experience. Very slick to have someone remote into your system and make changes on the fly. You could instantly feel and hear the engine get happier. The drivability is honestly where it should have always been. At any throttle position the engine accelerates smoothly. As mentioned the first tuning was cut short as after the first power pull I was told "don't do that again" as my fuel pressure took a total nose dive - glad I had Chris there for laptop duty and morale support....and jumping around the jungle gym. After sorting the issue and finally getting weather/schedules to cooperate, I got the car back out and everything is working exactly as it should. This was all done within 3 hrs of remote tuning and its never driven better. Tough to beat that.



Now on to swapping spark plugs and hoping to enjoy the car much more this season.

[The_Bishop]

Sounds like an awesome and more tunable upgrade, glad it's working out like you want it to.

[LTb1ow]

[townsend]

Originally Posted by LTb1ow

87% of the time