Here are some pics of the PS line install.

A few notes.

You have to pull the PS pulley off of the stock pump to remove it. This requires moving the radiator hose (or the PS cooler if you have it) and then getting a PS puller in place and removing the pulley. I wasn't going to reuse the pulley so there was no reason to be subtle. I took a battery powered sawzall and cut into the pulley and then hit it with a 3 lb hammer. The pulley breaks quite easily and a few easy taps with the hammer and you'll have most of the pulley out of the way. Then you can just unbolt the pump and remove it.

When you make the line for the PS pump to the PS rack, it needs to be indexed 90 degrees different (make sure it's in the right 90 degrees or you'll be 180 degrees off). Or use a swivel fitting (which I didn't). Also, cover your lines in split loom tubing to help avoid abrasion damage to parts of the engine or other wiring.

I need to move the rack fittings a little more to make sure they can't contact the alternator charging lead under body twist or engine mount flex. I'll adjust them before I wrap things up.

To follow up on my clutch issue, I ran this past weekend with no problems, banging 3-4-5 nice and smooth. I actually forgot there was a problem and half thru the day realized how quickly it was going into gear. 2-3 still makes a slight grind with redline shift but no resistance so I think that's a trans issue.

Sounds like progress. I've found that second gear is always a little notchy in these cars. I rebuilt mine because 2nd was a little picky and could grind slightly....brand new synchros and keys and all the related parts didn't really change anything. It's not any better or worse. Oh well, it should live forever now. lol.

what steering pump you using? Turnone?

Yes. I ordered the turn one with the aluminum pulley. I had to swap my reservoir over to the new pump. I cleaned it up and swapped it on. They send you a new O-ring to seal it up.

Nice. You would of been fine, cooling wise, with just the turnone pump? Would you agree?

As a street car? Absolutely. If I get a chance to run this at a few events, possibly. It is heavy. But, I have an under drive pulley (ATI Superdamper with 10% under drive) on the car. With the Turn one pump, it should be ok (I'm doubting it would boil over). However, when I was fixing things that could leave me stranded, the factory PS cooler was "involved" with the cooling system rebuild. So I got to the cooler before the pump. Hence, I have an aftermarket oil to water cooler (the C&R cooling equipment part).

I've been on a quest to replace the rubber parts and things that tend to leak in the middle of a road trip/vacation. I don't want any surprises on the side of the road while I'm out enjoying the world in this thing.

Speaking of which, FedEx dropped off my reconfigured cooler while I was home for lunch today. So I can start putting the car back together. They cut off the old fittings and welded longer fittings onto the cooler. They are also making a production change to their product to give it longer fittings to allow more AN lines to tighten down properly. If they weren't going to fix mine, I would have dug out the TIG welder and done the same thing. However, C&R has amazing customer service. I highly recommend them.

Understood. I do like the oil to water cooler you got

I tend to use the "sledgehammer to kill a fly" approach. When the PS system started leaking, I decided to replace virtually all of it. I didn't realize it was the cooler causing the leak until after I bought all the other parts. So...time to upgrade. lol.

when in doubt, leave nothing out

I can tell that we will get along just fine.

I need to replace some rubber brake lines (they are also 16 years old). I debated braided, but I think I'm just going to put fresh rubber lines on it.

Ha. If I'm spending the time, it'll be done once. More money is an investment in the piece of mind.

Same with those brake lines, when I swap mine, braided. Not risking blowing one, if/when it ever gets on the track. And stock lines can be paired to the ats/c7 or c7 z51 calipers as well.

I've seen more braided lines fail than I've ever seen rubber lines fail. That's the issue I have. I've seen a few blown braided hoses. Thus, I feel like an OEM rubber line is best in most cases for street use. My Stoptech brakes came with their own dedicated braided lines, so I have those on the car. But I'm not sure I want to add any others.

Unless it's a set of Dodge brake hoses, yes, the rubber lines, are probably safer. We had a OEM hose collapse on our 3000 mile (yes, that's right) 98 Dakota R/T. I discovered that it's a pretty common occurrence on 90's & 2000's Dakotas/Durangos. Luckily, I was able to get a set of Goodridge hoses built.

I do tend to go for the 'pretty' when replacing brake parts, though, so will probably go with braided lines on the Caprice when the CTS brakes go on it.

Spooky if braided lines are failing

Many are not DOT-approved. But yeah, they fail too often.

Understood.

Funny you say that... these say meet "DOT requirements". Not that they were approved
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/rus-6922...et/model/camaro

This crash happened after new DOT approved brake hoses were installed as a "preventative measure".

http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/index.php?showtopic=14156

Guess the old hoses were a better option, but you replace things for safety...unless they cause the safety issue. This was really awful, it was a beautiful car. The driver did survive with minimal injuries, but what a waste.

Yea, i remember seeing that thread. Terrible accident. Glad he was OK

These Goodrididge lines are DOT and TUV certified
https://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brakes.jsp?...mp;autoModClar=

So you think, even for track duty replacement rubber hoses are safer? I'm in the same boat as you, 19 yr old car with stock lines still.

I'm a little torn. I've run the Wilwood kit on my original 2002 Camaro with braided lines (this was an "aftermarket" Wilwood based kit that had "matching" lines with it). I had no issues. But the rest of the car had stock lines on it. The current car has Stoptech brakes and their hoses (which seem like decent hoses). I considered adding the Stoptech rear lines....but I just can't bring myself to do it.

My 1992 Z28 ran rubber lines (besides the front brake kit from Ed Miller brakes) and for track and autocross use it was fine and one of my friends who drove the car said "I want to compliment whoever bled your brakes....that's the best brake pedal I've ever felt in a 3rd gen". And that was with mostly rubber lines on the car...and none failed me.

The other issue is...cheap rubber brake lines aren't likely much (if any) better. You'll want to buy quality replacements. Now, we just need to sort out what exactly those are...

So, if I could walk into the GM dealer and buy new OEM hoses...I'd absolutely do that today. Since we can't and the new "AC Delco stuff" seems to be Chinese, I'm not sure that's the answer.

So my rubber hose "theory" has some challenges these days and I'm not sure I have a good answer beyond the theoretical.

I'm an oem fan and that's my dilemma too. No quality rubber options IMO

I can't pinpoint exactly where it was to create links but I've seen some anti-SS line talk over at the Grassroots Motorsports forum as well.

Interesting topic this has become. Never heard of these issues. Good to know though.

Sorry to muddy your thread up trackbird

No apology needed. These threads and projects take a meandering path to completion. As long as there's good tech and interesting info being exchanged it's ok with me.

I've had a set of Goodridge braided caliper lines (C5 spec) and Hotpart axle lines for nearly 10 years of street/autox and track use just in the last year without issue. The hotpart lines had a plastic coating on them and I added hose protection for the Goodridge lines just for an extra layer. Not that this is definitive but just thought I'd throw in my experience.

I finally got time to install the power steering cooler that C&R modified and returned to me. It fits great. I installed the coolant hoses and finished the power steering installation. Belts are back in place. While I was in there, I figured I'd install the new plugs and wires. That's when I found out that the idiot techs who put the engine in this car decided to discard the heat shields and didn't use dielectric grease on the plug wires. Therefore, they were all stuck such that I had to break off a few of the plugs to get the wrench on them to remove them. I also knew that the K member was in this car a little off center. It's off center to the passengers side. This made things extra difficult. The last time I did plugs in one of these cars it took me about an hour, yesterday took about 6 hours. I wasn't amused.

However, at this point all I need to do is to install the air cleaner and remaining parts and it's ready to go...as far as that stuff goes.

I still have rear brake rotors to install and a rear diff cover to seal up and I think I'm about done with the current list of winter projects.

I'm pretty sure the K in mine is a bit off center as well. I've been too lazy to go back in and fix it.

I started on the exhaust today....

The SLP box had been somewhat damaged when it arrived (for the SLP Y pipe). I opened it and it looked fine, so I didn't worry much about it. Upon starting the install, I noticed that the paperwork and hardware wasn't in the box. SLP is sending it to me, but that's going to keep me from starting the car for a little bit longer.

I started on the Hooker exhaust kit and noticed that the instructions are pretty basic (not that I usually need instructions for an exhaust kit). They say to reuse the hangar from the passengers side rear (by the muffler) but to replace the stud with their bolt (easier said than done). Then I looked at the bag of hardware and noticed that they now include a new bracket for that part, but they didn't add a second bolt to the kit to attach it. Then I looked at the included clamps...they sent me three 3" clamps. The Y pipe to exhaust should be 3", and the main pipe to the "over axle pipe" should be 3" (though the included clamps are actually just a bit small to do the job, it looks like a 3 1/8 or a 3 1/4" clamp would be a better guess. That leaves the pipes out of the muffler to the under bumper exit. Those are 2.5" pipes, but I have 3" clamps. lol.

So, I bought some bolts and clamps and I'll get it all together (pending the arrival of the hardware from SLP).

I guess this is typical of how these projects go...so I guess I'd hate to have been disappointed. lol.

My SLP parts showed up today. Oddly, it says it's a hardware kit for a 2000 Camaro. I think (from memory) the y pipes are 98-99, 2000, and 01-02. But it's just a clamp and a couple bolts, so I think it's going to do the trick.

I also noticed that the Hooker tailpipes (from the muffler out under the bumper) seem a little "off". The passengers side pipe is hard against the spare tire well and I don't believe the pipes are going to wind up in the same place (as viewed from behind). Once I get this all in place, I need to see if I can cut 1/2" to 1.5" off of the passenger side pipe to line it up with the drivers side (but I can't cut it too short or it won't clear the 3" pipe that comes over the axle). I considered a Magnaflow kit for this car, but the Hooker made good power on the 2001 SS I had and I liked the sound. The Magnaflow on my '91 Corvette was a bit too loud. I'm starting to wish I had just bought the Magnaflow kit (there's still time, it's not over yet!). lol.

I spent about 5 hours in the garage Saturday trying to wrap up the exhaust installation. The SLP Y pipe would tuck up better on the drivers side if it wasn't for the brake lines, they are the lowest thing in that "notch" between the sub frame and the chassis. The hooker exhaust kit had tailpipes that were two different lengths to the point that the exhaust tips would be wildly different as far as how far they stuck out from under the bumper. The stock "band clamp" from the factory exhaust doesn't clamp the hooker kit to the SLP y pipe "at all", it's not even tight (and I ran the band down with a 3/8 impact). And the Hooker kit is basically too short and only engages the SLP Y pipe by about 3/8" (see attached photo). So, I ordered a 2.75" "lap joint" band clamp. It's supposed to join a slip fit connection of a 2.75" pipe to a pipe that's flared to slip over it. That should do the trick. Otherwise I'm wondering about opening up the SLP pipe to 3 (have a shop do it or just tig on a new pipe after I open it up) and cutting the stepped portion off of the hooker kit. Clamps should be here tomorrow (with any luck).

The SLP Y pipe didn't fit well and it appeared that I would spend all my time dragging it down the road. I'll revisit that later. For tonight I put the stock Y pipe back on it and used the stepped strap band clamp for the Y pipe to Hooker main pipe transition.

I adjusted the exhaust (adjusted means I had to bend the pipe that comes over the axle to the muffler a bit) to line up the tail pipes and then snugged everything down. Topped off the coolant and PS fluid (Redline) and we got in a 65 mile drive tonight.

It's running, no leaks, no rattles and nothing caught fire. I'll take it.

A fire-free ride in a F-body is a win-win in my book!!

Sometimes you have to enjoy the small victories. lol.

There was enough power steering fluid all over the bottom that I hosed it down with brake clean (just the K member and "metal bits"). Between PS fluid and brake clean, I figured we could burn the thing to the ground.

The stepped strap band clamp did a perfect job of making the exhaust "solid" and sealing the step. The factory band clamp (y pipe to exhaust) that's only 1" wide wasn't able to actually get the pipe tight against the y pipe. I ran it down with my small electric impact and it still wiggled at the connection.

I ordered two clamps with the hopes that one would fit well. This did the job perfectly:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/aph-9667

I installed the Stoptech rear rotors tonight. I'm slowly getting things crossed off my list. I still have to deal with the leaking rear diff cover gasket, so I picked up some Mobile 1 gear lube today to go with the gasket and black RTV I bought a few weeks ago.

After that, I need to install the Alan Blaine upgraded front sway bar mounts.

Also, it appears that the 91 octane tune from the Diablosport tuner has fixed the audible knock I could hear at wide open throttle. I need to do some datalogging with it to verify that all is well and possibly make a few adjustments....but it seems better than it was before. Hopefully I'm on the right track.

I went out on my lunch break, dropped the top and tried to bed the rear rotors. I found a few spots where I could make a blast through 3 gears and I remembered why I built this thing. It's running pretty well and pulling fairly well (for a car with a few bolts ons that weighs what it does). The power steering system didn't develop any leaks and the rotors are still showing a slight amount of the cross hatch pattern from being machined by the manufacturer. It's a lot better, but they aren't worn in quite yet. Though I made a few hard stops and put some heat in them.

Maybe I just need to put a roll bar in this thing so I can go have some additional fun with it. Or I really need another car....

It’s easy to do:



Just have to verify if you need the back seats, or not. But with a roll bar, the collective wisdom says ‘No.’

Yea, I think of your car every time I think "maybe I should just weld a bar in it". Hmmm.....

It was warmer last night and the knock is back. I have a fuel filter to install that I bought when I got the car and never installed. I guess I should start there and then do some data logging. I have a dyno shop about 1000 yards from my house and I'm thinking I should ask Brian what he'd charge to make a few pulls and touch up the tune. That might be the easiest way.

Has anybody here dealt with Kee Audio and their Monsoon speaker replacements?

http://keeaudio.com/camaro.html

No but I just replaced all of my speakers and radio in mine from Crutchfield. Fosgate speakers and a JVC radio for under $250. It sounds good for what it is. Nothing fancy. The install did not require me to get creative either

I ordered the "hybrid" stage 3 setup from Key Audio. It's the stage 3 setup with the stage 2 rear speakers instead of the rear woofers only.

I'll know more soon.

Speakers arrived. Now I have more work to do. They look like well made drivers, I'm looking forward to installing them and seeing if they work well with the Monsoon stuff. They have stand alone crossovers and can be used with an amp. So I guess I have options if they don't play well with the factory Monsoon system. I could consider moving to a stand alone amp and an aftermarket head unit. But I'm trying hard to avoid cutting up this car and I'd rather live with the factory radio.

The exhaust came with a bracket for the right rear corner that replaces the stock hangar but it uses two bolts. I believe the top bolt head is touching the metal around the rubber exhaust mount on the passengers side behind the axle. Anytime the exhaust moves (engine torque, pothole, etc) it's squeaking. I have to get under the car and try to sort out an answer to this one fairly soon.

Monsoon speakers have an odd impedance don't they -- 3 ohm?

Two, and some are 4 (or I believe that to be the case).

Right, the ones powered by the H/U are still 4 ohm since the only difference between a Monsoon H/U and a normal one is a logo. I actually have a Monsoon H/U sitting here that I got at the thrift store for $2.

I still haven't had time to mess with the speakers.... I should get to that sometime soon.

I've had a squeak from the exhaust and with the top up I can hear it buzzing on something. I need to get under the car and get it adjusted and look at the SLP Y pipe again soon. So that's on my list.

Today I started to drive it and I smelled a little coolant as I backed it out of the garage. I killed it and opened the radiator cap. The coolant was about 1" low in the radiator and the reservoir didn't seem to have a ton in it. So, I think it may still have a very faint leak. I see no coolant on the ground and I replaced everything but the heater hoses and the steam lines on the engine. I've had this issue on previous cars and it was usually the water pump gaskets or the water pump. I installed a brand new Holley Performance water pump about a year ago. So now I'm not sure what's going on. I have the new formed metal heater hoses to swap out, but that job doesn't look fun. And I recently put plugs in it and saw no signs of coolant getting into the combustion chambers (no clean or odd looking plugs). Guess I'll top it off and see if I can see a leak under the water pump.

I'm starting to think it's time to sell this one and buy a new one or something else....lol.

I started it last week to circulate some oil. After I shut it down and cleaned up the garage, I looked down and saw coolant in the "groove" they form into the garage floor to control where it cracks. It appears to be dripping from the passengers side of the radiator. It's either a loose hose, a loose clamp, the drain valve or the cap doesn't fit the aftermarket radiator. I let it cool and pulled the cap off and the radiator is full....odd.

I'll get it up in the air and let it warm up again. Then I should be able to lay under it and see where the drip is coming from. While I'm there, I have a set of upgraded sway bar mounts that have received the Alan Blaine treatment that I should install and maybe install the set of Strano upper control arm offset bushings (I currently have my 20 ton press at my place, I usually leave it at Racerdad's shop) and I still have a new SLP Y-pipe laying in the garage to put on the car. Then I need to decide what to do. I really like the car, but I'm starting to think it might be time for something else. Sadly, after looking at various things...I'm not sure what I'd buy.

^That's what i ran into when I was thinking about getting a sub-$5k daily since sometimes I tire of driving a truck everywhere. I was into V6 CTS sedans from the 2000s but then the whole thing faded because there wasn't anything I really dug. Maybe when she's done with it I might buy a co-worker's V6 SN95 for super cheap.

I was thinking I might sell this, pay off the last little bit of my truck and go shopping for a 1LE 6th gen or a Corvette (new or recently built used). But I'm not sure if I want to do that (I'd need to go drive both).

See, I still don't know about C7s or even C6s. Perfection may have been achieved by lightly-to-moderatley modded C5s even if they don't put up the horsepower numbers of the later cars.

Doug Willie LOVES his '18(?) ZR1 1LE Z. It's a beast, and he enjoys driving it, auto crossing, standing miles, etc. Replaced 'Snoopy' with it, since it was just moar Camaro!

That seems like a hell of a car and it was on my list...though the price is a bit more than I think I'm looking to spend.