What have you done to your square lately??

[Chevrolado]

Put on new taillights from summit and marker lights from lmc

That’s it. I need new tails. You’ve convinced me. Looks great

 

[Sgt Gus]

Man, I've got to paint the rust behind her grill. Too obsessive not too. I have to work around the driver though. She said she has to take it to do farm chores later.
Got to do it right.

 

[86k20-ds]

That’s it. I need new tails. You’ve convinced me. Looks great

Thanks! the ones from summit are amazing but if you do get a pair make sure you get the united pacific gaskets they have because the included ones suck. Good luck on your truck!

 

[Sgt Gus]

Rust reformer applied where needed. I will throw on some satin black caliper paint after wipe down. Quick easy.
Also thought aux fan blade from Australia cool. Motor Japan.

 

[Gander]

over the past few weeks I’ve been gathering the 3 different types of clips and all the missing bracketry to run my spark plug wires the factory way and not have to use zipties or whatever. I have a 1987 5.7 so first year TBI. The brackets on the rears of the heads were there and the little tab on the oil dipstick bracket but that was it.

One thing I did last month or at least thought I got done, was cleaning and checking all the grounds on my truck. The last one was the ground strap from the firewall to the rear of the passenger cylinder head. Had to get under the truck and fish my hand up there to get it off but got it. I was sure that was the only ground that connected there, all the stuff I saw online said it was. I saw a couple posts about later TBI trucks saying there were a couple wires that were supposed to be grounded there with a ring terminal but those were later trucks and all the stuff I saw folks were sure about just that ground strap. Anyway, while I was fishing my spark plug wires around those back brackets and getting them in the clips I felt something slip over my pinky finger. I tugged it out and it was a ring terminal with a couple of really crusty wires with the insulation crumbling off. I cut the tape and conduit on the main harness enough to get them out. Pulled out the wiring diagram and sure enough, they’re ECM grounds. Soldered them together and to a 14 gauge wire, ended that with a ring terminal, and then it was back under the truck to get the bolt off the passenger head back off to slip the ring terminal on and then bolt the whole thing back up. I also taped up a couple wires I saw that could use it and then put everything up in little plastic conduit and taped that and then ziptied everything together and up out of the way. Alls well that ends well.

 

[WFarm]

Today I dialed the timing back in and adjusted the idle mixture. I had marked the distributor when I removed it a couple months ago and dropped it back in lining up to those same marks, but as it turned out it was several degrees retarded nonetheless. Adjusted it to 12 degrees advance.

One noticeable change was carburetor temperature when the engine is hot. I blocked off the heat crossovers (Fel-Pro 1210 gaskets had metal plates for that) and when I checked the carb after it had been shutdown for 10-15 minutes it was far from hot. Noticeable change from before with the heat crossovers in play.

Used my vacuum gauge to adjust idle mixture. Didn’t need any significant changes.

After days of storms tomorrow is forecast to be hot and dry. Roadtrip!

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Radiohead]

Memory burst! I had a timing light just like that since the early 80's until I loaned it out around covid and the loanee proceeded to destroy it in a fan blade, IIRC.

Cool!

 

[WFarm]

Memory burst! I had a timing light just like that since the early 80's until I loaned it out around covid and the loanee proceeded to destroy it in a fan blade, IIRC.

Cool!

I’ve lost count of how old that light is. Actually have two of them as I got my dads when he passed.

 

[Tank6x2]

Over two weeks I’ve ordered 2 rads both bent vertically - thanks Bezos workers for doing right! lol see what the third turns into

 

[Sgt Gus]

over the past few weeks I’ve been gathering the 3 different types of clips and all the missing bracketry to run my spark plug wires the factory way and not have to use zipties or whatever. I have a 1987 5.7 so first year TBI. The brackets on the rears of the heads were there and the little tab on the oil dipstick bracket but that was it.

One thing I did last month or at least thought I got done, was cleaning and checking all the grounds on my truck. The last one was the ground strap from the firewall to the rear of the passenger cylinder head. Had to get under the truck and fish my hand up there to get it off but got it. I was sure that was the only ground that connected there, all the stuff I saw online said it was. I saw a couple posts about later TBI trucks saying there were a couple wires that were supposed to be grounded there with a ring terminal but those were later trucks and all the stuff I saw folks were sure about just that ground strap. Anyway, while I was fishing my spark plug wires around those back brackets and getting them in the clips I felt something slip over my pinky finger. I tugged it out and it was a ring terminal with a couple of really crusty wires with the insulation crumbling off. I cut the tape and conduit on the main harness enough to get them out. Pulled out the wiring diagram and sure enough, they’re ECM grounds. Soldered them together and to a 14 gauge wire, ended that with a ring terminal, and then it was back under the truck to get the bolt off the passenger head back off to slip the ring terminal on and then bolt the whole thing back up. I also taped up a couple wires I saw that could use it and then put everything up in little plastic conduit and taped that and then ziptied everything together and up out of the way. Alls well that ends well.

Awesome, please advise where you found the plastic clips that go on the brackets! We have the brackets (87 tbi, 454).
I was following your read thinking, wait there's a couple more wires...good job.

 

[Sgt Gus]

Memory burst! I had a timing light just like that since the early 80's until I loaned it out around covid and the loanee proceeded to destroy it in a fan blade, IIRC.

Cool!

My Dad had one. I wonder if it's in a drawer, lol?

 

[Sgt Gus]

Over two weeks I’ve ordered 2 rads both bent vertically - thanks Bezos workers for doing right! lol see what the third turns into

I didn't risk it due to fins and went and picked up at a summit. Don't know if that is a realistic situation for you though.

 

[Sgt Gus]

My Dad loved the sears craftsman stuff due to the lifetime warranty. Just return and get another if needed. Most of my sockets and drives etc are S.C. My brother and I would get something every Christmas for awhile.

 

[Gander]

Awesome, please advise where you found the plastic clips that go on the brackets! We have the brackets (87 tbi, 454).
I was following your read thinking, wait there's a couple more wires...good job.

It’s a hassle for sure! There’s 3 different clips, and I had to get them from 3 different suppliers. Dorman 40295 was the easiest, I was able to have them ordered into the store at Advance Auto. $10 per pack, (they’re 2 sets per pack), and you need 3 packs but I got 4 to have spares. NOE 7353594 you can get from NAPA but they don’t stock it. $4 per pack and you need 4 packs plus $6 shipping. The last one is ACDelco 12132229. $3 a piece but again it isn’t stocked anywhere. I had to order them in online and pay an extra $6 in shipping.

This does result in you having a couple extra clips after it’s all done but as hard as these little buggers are to find it’s a good thing to have spares. If you’re missing the brackets like I was I found someone who sells the correct brackets for something like $30 bucks. Now, that doesn’t include the brackets on the back of the heads but I already had those. These are different than the ones on the OBS trucks, BTW. I pulled a set off at the junkyard thinking I could save a few bucks there but no dice. Here’s some links and good luck! It sure is nice not to have to have my wires tied up with zipties and laying all over the place.

Oh, BTW, I’ve got the 5.7. I’m pretty sure the clips are going to be the same but not sure about the quantities and the brackets might be a little different. Since you have a 454 take a look at those links and see if they’ll work for you and good luck!

Advance Auto Parts - Down for Maintenance

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NOE7353594?srsltid=AfmBOopxbQ6jlTuXfog8C4_my_vF9DeKCHJyTZhoJov9QnuGssHlyqFJ

GM GENUINE 12132229 Spark Plug Wire Holder | Shop Now at RockAuto

GM GENUINE Ignition Parts and More for Your Vehicle at Reliably Low Prices. Fast Online Catalog. DIY-Easy. Your Choice of Quality. Full Manufacturer Warranty.

www.rockauto.com

https://newboyzsquarebodyrescue.com...?_pos=1&_psq=spark+plug&_psid=3eeeb441a&_ss=e

 

[Gander]

Awesome, please advise where you found the plastic clips that go on the brackets! We have the brackets (87 tbi, 454).
I was following your read thinking, wait there's a couple more wires...good job.

Yeah, I’ve been chasing idle problems ever since I got the truck. Everything I’ve done has improved things a little but hasn’t quite fixed it. Hooking those last 2 grounds up that I found loose while running those plug wires has it running and idling just fine. Fuel injection is a beautiful thing when it’s all working right! One of the reasons I love the ‘87 trucks so much.