1991 Firebird Steering Improvements (Centerlink, Brace, Adjustment) (Ep.14)
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- Now that we have the car in a roadworthy state, we can start figuring out what work is left to be done to improve the driving experience and safety. First up is the worn out steering centerlink that we have a replacement for. Then, we'll install a steering brace (AKA a Wonderbar) to stiffen up the front end and adjust the steering box to remove some of the excess play in the steering wheel. It may not be a racecar by the end but we are certainly making progress!
Date of filming: April 16th, 2019 (Centerlink and Brace)
Song List (Order of First Appearance):
0:01 Casey Don't You Fret - Dan Lebowitz
5:35 The Clean Up Man - Dan Lebowitz
11:07 Daisy Dukes - Silent Partner
18:28 Harvest Time - Silent Partner
(All music provided by RUclips's Audio Library royalty free.)
Thanks for watching, and joining us on this adventure! Please let us know what you think! Consider supporting us via Patreon as well! / fuzzydiceprojects
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Check out our second channel for a variety of other content: / @fuzzydicepastimes
Psssttt, this is a 3rd gen fbody, not a 2nd gen.
Oh, shoot, did I say that somewhere in the voiceover? I have been working with the 78 so much recently it must have slipped in without my noticing. My mistake.
Came here to say this!
Fuzzy Dice Projects multiple times
@@FuzzyDiceProjects please tell me you put anti seize on that so it would be easier to do this next time!
Yep, a few times. I wasn't going to say anything :-)
I love the TopDown Solutions WonderBar. Lon, the owner, has been a huge part of the 3rd gen community - so every time I see one of his pieces get used it makes me happy.
@LUCKYDUCKY 62 WTF are you talking about
I'm so happy you found self expression in those cotter pins ;)
I use side-cutters to remove cotter pins. It grips the pin really well and I use leverage to pull it out.
cambo1200 agreed, I use side cuts myself. They work great.
I'll be the 3rd vote. If that fails, I cut them off and pound them out with a couple of nails. I've broken too many punches trying to get them out that way before.
You can do a lot to improve the handling on these cars by replacing every rubber bushing with polyurethane. It was 10 years ago when I built my 82 z28 but the kit was only like $70 for the entire chassis. Sub frame ties and a strut tower brace do wonders. If you want to go further but stay cheap and have a welder you can fully box the stock stamped control arms and rear trailing arms by welding on some steel plate (a lot of lemons and chump teams do this to their third gens) a half decent set of shocks and good tires and a 3rd gen can handle pretty darn well.
Good tip about boxing in the suspension parts! Will consider it. Have a set of poly bushings I bought for it a year ago but haven't got around to installing yet
This guy and his god damn steering lol
If you drove a third gen, you'd understand. LOL
I have a 65 pontiac and i fully understand.
I had the opportunity to take some measurements during a body off resto and was appalled by what i found. Not with regard to wear but the original geometry was so bad. Had to virtually replace everything with aftermarket bits to get the wheels to stay pointing in the right direction during suspension movement.
@@sakumisan I had a 90 T/A, for whatever reason the complaints that other 3ed gen owners had never seemed to be an issue for mine. It was a hard top, but still. It never seemed to have excess flex, the steering was very good etc.
The only suspension issue was someone had put clamps on the springs front and rear. It rode pretty harshly and would lose control over certain surfaces because the suspension lacked travel.
Love the channel. Started watching a very long time ago. Caused me to get into cars, and now im a technician! With a few project cars going and a few behind him. Thankyou for the inspiration.
Gotta love that good old Rusty & Crusty Maryland Air. I just did the rear brakes on my Volvo 850 wagon today. Anyone who has a Volvo 850 knows that the rear brakes are super easy to do...when not covered in rust. I spent all afternoon separating the pads from the pistons in the calipers because the rust had welded the pads on the pistons, as well as the pins that held the pads in. People in the west have no idea how lucky they are lol
Zander Xymox my 67 Plymouth doesn’t even have surface rust underneath it. Yup, I’m on the west coast
I hear ya, Ohio
I am loving this project! Its inspiration for others to work on cars from the past and hopefully have cars from the past for drivers of today!
The new decade is starting off well! Good to see a new video uploaded, cant wait to watch!
It's disturbing how much the front end of that car looks exactly like every other GM RWD car from about 1965 to 2000. If I didn't know it was a Firebird, I'm not sure I would have been able to tell what it was.
Also... Nice work on getting off that easy on getting ancient steering parts off. You're going to end up paying for that one the next 10 you do. ;)
Love the cotter pin art.
I always cut the cotter pin eyelet loop with a side cutters, then remove each half with a channelocks pliers.
good series well done one day ill get my dodge charger but difficult living in england great effort look forward to watching another series
Brilliant video keep up the hard work love Pontiacs
that painting is definitely in his house FDP nice
Such great car! In the hands of a great owner ! Excelent work ! Keep up !
Michel Night would be proud
This Lamborghini is really nice good work 👍🏻
looks like the parking lot at the WP ny mall but guess they all look alike, great video gotta try a wonderbar
so that's a 1990s when I was Burying my blazers back in the day and the first thing you look at before you buy one is that the steering box is still attached to the frame lot of cracks so no big deal have a a good welder and have fun fixing it with extra Steel
This was awesome. Great rebuild. I would do more to the engine... bumping up the HP but I can totally understand keeping this one real.
subframe connectors would probably be a good investment even if it's just a daily. And maybe a 3.42 posi lol. Nice middle ground.
Always enjoy these videos.....
Love the videos just 2 things though. 82-92 is 3rd gen and I am in tears over the fact that you didn’t do new urethane bushings on sway bar lol
Love these videos.
This is better than watching Netflix...lol
I love this car but i cannot get over the mounting place for that license plate. There HAS to be something you can do for that.
he needs to install a bracket in dead center of tne bumper
it's a 3rd Gen... not 2nd Gen as you kept saying in the beginning..
i put a wander bar on my firebird formula. it looks good but didn’t notice anything. it already has the ws6 suspension with thicker sway bars but it was good piece of mind and it only cost ten dollars from the junkyard
*I plan on changing out my steering gear box early 2020 (1976 Camaro).*
Been waiting on another one of these. :)
Binge watching 91' Firebird restoration. I'm up to eps. 14 (this one) if 15 coming soon?, or did I miss it? Love your videos. ✌❤
Good job and from around my way That's hard to find around here.
Don't tell Eric tge Car guy that about cotter pins lol
Yes a new episode! Woot
Pro tip: lube the balljoint boots with dielectric grease (silicone)
It will stop the rubber from cracking. Rubber likes silicone
I like your videos.
Just wanted to say it.
You should share your part source, seems like you find really good deals that I can't for my 3rd gen.
Try Rockauto
A good old fashion pickle fork works on steering ball joints
True, I usually go there as a last resort though since it is pretty tough on the other parts and it destroys the boots. Good for really stuck ball joints though
@@FuzzyDiceProjects That's why when I rebuild steering, I rebuild it all. The parts aren't usually that expensive and my time is worth more than the money, most days... I just know if I don't do it all, I'll be back there again moments later.
Maybe upgrade the suspension?
Очень интересно. Спасибо!
I need an impact gun which one do you use?
Get some bump steer eq in there.. also a better box .
Is been a year!
Rack and pinion conversion!!
I looked into that a while back, sounds like it would be extremely difficult unfortunately
Ford already did that. It's called a Fox Mustang. ;)
Ready for that road trip yet?
Something something S10 steering something something
Looks exactly like GM steering back into the muscle car era.
You forgot the blinker fluid
I know this is a year late but that mounting for the license plate makes me want to scream...
Bro! Why the hell is the license plate screwed into the front bumper cover like that? Extremely unsightly...hideous even.
My '86 TA has a "rag joint" steering shaft. They get worn and sloppy. Does your '91 have one of these?
It does, but there isn't any slop there. On my S10 Blazer I was sure that there wasn't play in the rag joint but everyone kept telling me that was it. Replaced it with a solid shaft and it didn't help, at least not much. Probably will replace this one eventually but it seems to be in good shape
I might get blasted for this comment but the way you adjusted the gear box may work and is easier it is not the proper way to do it. The gear box should be removed and adjusted with an inch pound needle type wrench. By moving the the input shaft with the wrench in both directions(I do not have the proper torque specks in front of me), lash should be adjusted in that manner to avoid over tightening of the adjustment screw. Again it can be done in this manner and does work just not “proper”.
Good video. Did you align the center link with the pitman arm and idler arm?
How do you mean? We set the toe after installing it, but there really isn't any adjustment you can do with the centerlink other than that
Watch this video.. he doesn’t explain exactly how to align/level the center link with the pitman arm and idler arm but he does show a quick diagram and you’ll get the idea. Also, go in thirdgen.org and search “center link alignment” or something similar. It’ll help you get the most out of your steering geometry.
ruclips.net/video/1nFJRU2bK6g/видео.html
Interesting! From the diagram in the instructions he showed I can't quite tell what they are measuring or how that would do anything about that measurement, though. Even his slotted idler arm is odd to me, though with aftermarket parts (not OEM style like mine) I could see why that adjustability would be desirable. Searched a bit on ThirdGen.org and couldn't find anything explaining what was shown in the video, mostly people asking what direction the centerlink should be installed in. If the tie rods are adjusted long on one side and short on the other, the gearbox center wouldn't line up with the wheels when the are straight ahead, but that's about all I can figure.
Fuzzy Dice Projects The idler arm is adjustable (slides up and down) on the frame where it mounts. If you look at the center link, it has 2 flat spots on the bottom where the inner tie rods bolt through. You use that to level the center link. I used a 24” level after making sure the car was jacked up and on level ground on my car. I’ll see if I can find you a link from thirdgen.org
This may help with idler arm center link adjustment
www.thirdgen.org/forums/suspension-chassis/160342-idler-arm-adjustment.html
I would've spent a little more and installed some new anti-roll bar bushings and tie rods when it was all apart...
Apparently this is a 3rd gen
How do you like the husky impact??
I’m fishy about it
It's not really an impact, just an electric ratchet. I like it quite a bit, especially since I got it for $50. Not sure on longevity yet with the built in battery but it's doing great so far. It isn't the strongest but I kinda like that because it doesn't snap your wrist as bad when tightening/loosening. Have put enough force on it to skip a tooth before but no damage evident. Husky says it will hold 150 ft/lbs when used manually, probably more like 50-75.
As a concept, an electric ratchet is amazing. I have a Milwaukee that I like, but buy whatever you can afford. They're awesome!
I had a snap on one but they are expensive so I might give the Milwaukee a try
@@motorola12slvr Mine is just the regular, non-fuel, and if you can wait for a sale you can get the ratchet, 1/4" impact, drill, batteries, and charger for $200 at Home Depot. I've had mine for just over 2 years now and no problems. But, I just play at home.
If you ever get to a point where you want to restore the power antenna, I know the perfect place to get what you need. www.theantennasource.com/PONTIAC/FIREBIRD/Firebird%201988-1992.html It's hard to find high quality antenna masts but they have them for all sorts of makes and models that are usually really hard to find. Restored my dad's 92 Buick Regal antenna with their parts and love it!
Dude, you cotta conceal the license plate in your videos. Theres some sick assholes out there just trying to ruin your day.
11:50 fun fact your acronym in french means son of a bitch
Never buy cheap steering components or balljoints. Spend the money, or you’ll be doing it twice. Trust me
@1:05 Made in Turkey
thingys stuck "bash with hammer"
this parts not wanting to budge "hit with hammer"
i need to get to bed to please my wife but ma junk don't work "bash with hammer"
hammers, they fix almost everything,
Did you get married
Love the series. Nice to see a normal car getting restored instead of another lambo. 10/10
What? You know there are thousands of us out there wrenching on things that aren't Lambos, right? I mean... If there was ever an inverse of a Lamborghini, it's the stuff I own.
Maxwelhse cough cough b is for build
@@thelonewanderer420 His stuff is pretty big money the last time I was over there. I wish him well all the same.
Lassi Kinnunen yep, and he’s dumb as a rock
@@thelonewanderer420 sadly B is for Build grew too big and moved on from fun small budget things and started doing large budget things
Still fun to watch but did lose its appeal from where he started
Take a shot every time you hear the secret word or phrase "all things considered"
Or "______ part is actually in _______ shape"
I would love for you to wire brush the underbody and repaint everything LOL
nah that's load-carrying rust you are talking about here, no way you should scrub that off (s)
I was just thinking that whist watching!!!!
Yeah i agree, I would’ve done that already or at least started cleaning everything up
I wouldn't wish that upon my worst enemy. Did that to my 1996 Ranger and it turned into a several month repaired project.
When removing cotter pins, try using side cutters. Grab the top, squeeze and leverage the cotter pin out. Faster than anything you've shown on video so far.
FYI: You Firebird is a 3rd Generation F body, not a 2nd generation. Second generation cars are 1970 to 1981. Good video though.
I was thinking that as well, but I'm not well versed on these rides at all.
I think he got too used to working on his '78 Firebird lol
Yeah he has a 2nd gen to probably mixes them up
He acknowledged this in the pinned comment
Liking just for the cotter pins.
You are one of the best on youtube for mechanocs videos, really well explained videos, calm voice, and lots of learning, even us learning with you as you progress. Good job i have been watching since your jimmy videos, would be nice to see some off-roading type videos or builds
Installed the Wonderbar on mine too. It's a great improvement. Funny that you published this video now as I'm just editing all of the steering upgrades I did on mine this weekend. Keep it up!
YESSSS!!! Been waiting for a new episode on this car. I love that firebird. I'm sooooo jealous
Every time I think about buying a 3rd gen Firebird, you drop a video. Must be a sign.
Go for it!!! 😀
I bought a 4th gen thanks to this series. Or at least this series definitely helped seal the deal
I have my bird for 13 years. I'm stilll in love! 🙂
@@V8AmericanMuscleCar Got her started for the first time yesterday and dropped the t tops on the only nice day this winter. She only drives in reverse currently, likely from the low transmission fluid. Not so bad for a 200$ car
$200???? Here where I am for $200 I can't get two old tires! LOL If it moves $200 is nothing! 🤣
Wish you luck with the Bird!
It is still great to see my favorite of the 3rd generation Firebirds being restored. Actually makes me want to go out and find one to restore myself, because I love these final two years of that body style. And, that is a beautiful color all cleaned up :)
Man, I just stumbled across your channel and have binged this entire firebird series today - thank you for this. I really appreciate your outlook on the work you're doing, and the little monologue from episode 12 or 13 has really stuck with me. I've been driving my POS 2000 Nissan Xterra with 220k miles for 5 years now, and even though I've got money and capability to get something new, I really don't want to. I love it, and even if I let go of it some day, it'll always be mine - even if that means changing a burst radiator hose with a flashlight in my mouth every once in a while. Cheers from California man.
Immediately yes please. I'm always amped to see the notifications for this series
Easiest way to remove cotter pins is with a pair of side cutters. They bite into the eye and give good purchase to lever them out. Works 99 percent of the time.
Most times, taking a large hammer and wanging on the part the stud goes thru, 90% of the time it will pop apart. I avoid a pickle fork if I have to reuse the tie rod or ball joint as the pickle fork can tear the grease boot
This 'bird is a 3rd gen...oh, wait it's been said a hundred times already
100th like. You're doing a really nice job on the Firebird - almost to the point that it's hard to believe it was just wasting away a little more than a year ago.
Great video this is one of my favorite build even though all your builds are the best
The TDS bar is essential. Put one of those on mine and the improvement was immediately noticeable.
Those are the strongest cotter pins Ive ever seen
are those not paper clips?
just loved your play list of this 91 firebird hope you comeback soon with some more restoration videos , stay blessed and stay safe :0)
I think you might have fixed my steering issue, thanks so much! You're doing the lords work!
I just binge watched all 14 episodes. Very well done!! Nice job!!
Thats a 3rd gen F-Body.. not a 2nd gen.
Third gen, it's a third gen
Yeah has both probably mixed them up calm down
Steering has been my hassle for years now. I have a fully built tubular suspension. But my steering sucks. Saving up for a turn 1 box.
supercobra14560 just convert to rack and pinion
Loving this series. I've owned at least one of every generation of F body (aside from first) and currently daily a 5th gen ZL1. Watching your videos here makes me really want an IROC-Z camaro. You got really lucky finding that firebird in as decent of shape as it was. When looking around here (Dallas Tx area) the IROC's I find are either really nice or really horrible. It's hard to find something that's a decent fixer upper. If I expanded my search to other trim levels i'd probably have more luck but i'd really like an IROC. I grew up in the 80's and it was THE car to have.
Shane Singleton the 5th gen isn’t part of the f body platform
9:41 :Them rings should be "clipped" over the end of the boot ... so they can hold them on their own ..
All the videos on this Firebird were awesome and good enough to educate someone on how to maintain a vehicle irrespective of brand, thanks a lot Indeed
Wow the underside of that car is clan. My 86 gives bp a run for its money..
From Brazil: Another great video, congratulations!
ALSO IF YOU WANT YOUR STEERING WHEEL TO SAY PUT PUT THE SEAT BELT AROUND THE STEERING WHEEL AND BUCKLE THE SEAT BELT👍
Thanks for showing installation of our TDS 105021 Steering Brace. Enjoy your Firebird!
Lon Salgren
Top-Down Solutions
You’re working on a 3rd gen. Not a 2nd gen 🤙🏼
Get rid of tie rod ends put in bump steer .. can you replace the rag joint on these with a Jeep lower shaft like the g body?.. also a better geared steering box from a sporty f body. Say 2.5 bump to bump instead of 3.25.
Not sure if you are checking comment of your past videos but man, I want the episodes to never end!!!
Btw how about Supra a70?