Thread: Dirt cheap mods: my never ending struggle

Well, finally got it all put back together enough to pull it in the garage (it snowed today). Still have to chase down the power drain... think it's something I did behind the dash....


Now that the intake is on, everything else looks grungy.... lol

Well, I finally started down the path. Picked up 120,000 mile 06 gtp heads for $60! Guy let me see the engine running before we pulled the heads! Sketchy as crap though, guy "bought it without a title" and the transmission blew. I'll obviously still be getting them checked and I'm definitely going to port them and replace almost everything, but it's a start!

Now that the turbulence lip is gone from the adapter, I went to check the throttle body side. This is what I found....



here's the lip still left on the side close up.



It's rough after tapering it down some, but regardless, it's better than it was! Note the gap on either side pictured above.



This was my solution, to add jb weld to "fill in" the metal "missing here". I'll obviously sand this down and taper the edge to match the rest.



Just in case anyone is curious why I'm not concerned about getting this perfect, I have a north star throttle body I'm putting on as soon as I buy a tuner. Plus I'm probably going to top swap soon anyhow....

Hey dude clean your inbox up! I need to talk to you

Originally Posted by Dpaul0113

Hey dude clean your inbox up! I need to talk to you

whoops! Got you man! Thanks for letting me know!

Well, I've been driving for about a week now since completing the upgrades, and I have to say MAN what a difference! I really have to be careful on the throttle though because it'll take off on me now. I think there was a major restriction/turbulence in the airflow caused by the mismatched throttle body/ intake step etc. I can only imagine what running the hv3 insert would do!

I'll have to post a thread on the pcv system since still no codes and works like a charm! Probably better suited for turbo or high boost applications, but hey, It's not hurting anything! I'm curious how much oil I'll catch by the next oil change!

I'm still stuck on either keeping the setup and going turbo, or doing the top swap and supercharging! I'd love to do both, but money isn't my friend.... lol

Well, finally had some time to really sit down and work through the DRL switch issue. Turns out both the bulbs were bad, and my wiring was faulty. From what I can tell, the DRL is different from 00-03 and has a "backup" DRL action called "low light mode" that works even when the diode is removed. I'll have to test it out, but for now, it works and looks good!

Yeah. I thought about that, but I usually don't mind them being on, they just get annoying sometimes so I thought it'd be neat to have a switch. I mean, who ever uses that stupid cubbie that's normally there any how?

Originally Posted by Bronco Boy

This way I have no DRL's, but the "auto on" still turns on the park lights, all the time. If I leave the DRL diode connected, and remove the DRL fuse, things click and scream under the dash; I never looked into what it was.

Wow! Ok. So I didn't know there was a difference between DRL and Auto On (or as the manual calls "low light mode").

What I created the switch for actually controls the low light mode (auto) and not the DRL. By unplugging the DRL diode, that turns off the DRL completely. I'll have to update my post accordingly.

That being said, I love not having the low light mode on! Pleople can still see me cause of the side markers, but I'm not wearing out my headlights as much, and if I want, I can turn it back on any time.

Strange. Mine works fine as of now. They are solid state relays so maybe one of them burnt out? Mine still works auto, but the headlights don't come on unless I flip the switch, or use my "flash to pass" or turn the headlight switch on.

Well, I'm finally starting to get serious before I go and tune my car so I don't tune in a vacuum leak or something stupid like that. Still waiting on the acdelco ECT sensor to come in, but just got the acdelco IAT sensor. Unfortunately just as predicted, no change.

So, in the spirit of diy, I started building my own smoke machine for detecting vacuum leaks. I decided to go the less brutal method and use nichrome wire and tiki wicks to burn mineral oil run off the battery. I went a little more expensive and used an actual mini regulator in place of a propane regulator (I think it was $15 vs $10?). I can't take credit for the idea, found some youtube videos and adapted my own. If it works, I'll post a how-to later.

Well, I finally decided to try fixing the ECT sensor and replace some stuff I suspected along the way. This time, on the new parts, I went with AcDelco parts which weren't much more expensive on RockAuto since everyone has been bashing aftermarket stuff. I have to say, after seeing the comparison, I think I'm an OEM fan for life, at lease with certain components... Here's what I found:

AcDelco thermostat is on the right, stant on the left. Notice the offset and the hole on the AcDelco. This is apparently an air bleed valve of sorts that helps bleeding the air from the engine block easier, and let me say it bleeds so much easier with this.


Here's the thermostats from the bottom. The build quality of the AcDelco was shockingly better. Again, notice the valve.


Here's the broken sensor on the left. Right is the new AcDelco one. Difference is now my temperature is reading correctly wheras the old one was about 10-15 degrees off.



Replaced the bleed screw that was broken or clogged.



Brand new stant cap on right was already leaking. The lack of material and build quality vs the AcDelco was quite concerning. AcDelco fits MUCH tighter.

Finally got the last few pieces of my remote start/security system! I'm freaking stoked! If anyone is curious what I'm putting in, it's the compustar CM7000 remote start/security system combo, with Blade/AL integrated bypass module (the picture is the only module needed, nice and small and makes wiring very simple), and until I can save up the money for the drone mobile, I'm using chepo one way compustar 2000ft range one way remotes. Next I'll get the thermister so I can have the defrost automatically turn on at a set temperature! If everything works, I'll eventually post a how-to for those brave enough... lol

How tough are those to wire yourself. I would love to put one in my 2000 suburban LT but am cheap.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by markpa

How tough are those to wire yourself. I would love to put one in my 2000 suburban LT but am cheap.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

These are much easier than most traditional remote start systems, but as most, you do need to be able to flash the module. I was able to register for the software under my defunct business name, but you might not be able to register, plus you need to buy the flash module. I'm going to start offering to flash modules for $5 plus shipping. That being said, it really depends on the vehicle and your skill. Bulldog security has most vehicle wiring listed, but it isn't always accurate. Best resource is to pull up the remote start pinout and go between bulldog's wiring, and autozone's free vehicle wiring diagrams, then verifying the wires with a test light. If you can read schematics, use a test probe, and solder, you'll do fine. I think there's 15-20 wires for the grabs prix, and only cost me like $130?

Vroom vroom