Dan_Austin

That price would not seem bad if you had: a lot of old paint to remove, rust, dented and wavy sheet metal. I guess the gel coat could be in rough shape and need significant effort (I hope not, my VR kit arrives tomorrow), so prep and body work should be minimal. Your two-tone will require extra effort to layout, but even that should not be outrageous. And my wife wonders why I want to paint mine matte black when assembled. Oh, and the root beer looks so very right on this shape...

I cannot quite fit into this category. I could fudge the 'Is your car modified' question, but since it is my daily driver, never mind that my weekly commute is under 15 miles, I cannot acquire the appropriate insurance. In a surprising turn of events my wife approved a Velo Rossa kit, so I will be shooting for a SB100 instead. Yup a POS beater would have been cheaper, but the missus does not care for the look for the car currently, and likes the VR look, so I'll take it. Hopefully this thread can help someone who does meet the requirements find the program and make use of it.

I'll second the kudos on the bracket. If you can reproduce it easily, I am sure you would find a good list of buyers, I know I would consider it.

Photos of the buttons over here- http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/114249-do-i-need-a-new-combo-switch/ Not my thread, but Onion has the same issue and already has the parts out. I suggested he try to get measurements.

Step 1, get a pair of micrometers and take measurements! There is a gent looking for dimensions to make these using a 3D printer in the S30 forum. Correct step 1, keep those springs safe as they appear to be completely impossible to replace. I fabbed up a replacement button using a shrub irrigation dribbler, carefully shaving the height and contour with a razor blade. I expected it to be an epic failure, but it seems to be holding up.

Fair comment on the harness location. #1 was rubbing slightly on the hood, but a small bit of tweaking solved that. Keep in mind your plug wire options. I ended up with a set of Magnacor KV85 for a GTO, which are about .75~1" longer than I would like, but came with 2 spares for the same price of a custom length set. If you mount the coils lower you will need shorter wires.

I mounted the D585 coils on the cheap: http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/103766-mounted-ls2-truck-coils-today/

That is correct.

Cut out and tack welded rear fender wells in anticipation of installing a Reaction Research Vella Rossa kit. Note for others, plasma cutters are fun, but the wrong tool for this job, but an angle grinder w/cut off wheel makes for a drama free adventure...

My fusible link blocks were in good shape, but the wires were a bit crusty, so I gently put two 90 degree bends in the blades and replaced the wires with PAL fuses: http://www.littelfuse.com/industries/automotive-aftermarket/pal-fuses.aspx I did not get quite as much engagement as I would like, but I have had zero problems, so I consider is a cheap success.

I actually went with a microsquirt based system, so I did not need to deal with the board assembly.

It will be a bit before I can look at the MSQ, but have a couple suggestions- 1. Consider the DIY CAS wheel. It is a simple drop-in replacement for the wheel in the stock distributor, provides for more accurate position crank position detection and allows for a future move to sequential. Not critical, but low cost. 2. I also run the B&G code, but would suggest that you look at the Extra firmware. The support community is larger and there are quite a few 'extra' tunable options that might make it easier to get a 'perfect' tune. ( closed loop idle and boost control being two biggies ) Finally if you have not bought the full license for TunerStudio, you really, really should as well as a full license for MegaLog Viewer.

Depends on your market. I gave a way a four speed and have failed for the past year to find a home for a N42/N42 combo with it list at $400 OBO (so far no offers). I would not bank on recovering much when you pull the driveline.

I paid 2250 for a running, compete rust free 76 in CA. I did end up replacing all bushings, springs, shocks and an alternator the first year, which was another $600 If the car runs and can both move and stop, then $2300 is not too bad. If you plan to immediately disassemble it and replace major components, then you might find a non-runner for less. That said it is also largely about our regional market. I would not expect to find as many rust free cars in MI and out here in CA, so prices could reflect that and be higher, or no body in your area covets them and prices could be lower. Based on our description, I think the seller is asking a reasonable price, and seems willing to haggle, but I doubt you'll get it for $1000

You know of a bigger POS than a mid-80s Chevette Diesel? I may love em, but they are crap and I know it. I missed one in the northbay by a couple of days last month and have been kicking my self since then. To add insult to injury, they were almost giving it away. My new DD will either be a pre-75 or a pre-97 diesel passenger car/light truck. I briefly considered an VW R32, but I would be too tempted to twiddle with it...

I found exactly what I am looking for outside of Chicago, so the next steps involve CFO approval, and someone local to give it a look see and help with shipping if it is not too rough. 50MPG and a 2.5 mile a day commute makes it a financial no brainer, but the CFO thinks I should just walk my ass to work and save even more.

Funny you mention the Luv/Pup, as that was my backup plan if I was unable to find a Chevette worthy of acquisition. Sadly they appear to be as rare as the Chevette at this point. I now have enough info to wrap up my investigation. The program is real, albeit well hidden. I spoke to a gent, Marvin, at BAR after close to 40 minutes on hold. I cited CA vehicle code section 4000.1, paragraph (g) and he knew exactly what I was after. He sent me a questionnaire to confirm eligibility and followed up that the program requires a visit to a local referee (in deference to homeboyx's advice it is good to know that this is a requirement). The bad news is that there are no openings at the local referee stations for the rest of the month, and apparently they cannot schedule August yet. So it will be a bit before I can provide much more info on the actual workings of the program. Marvin was able to confirm at least the basics- 1. The vehicle is 35 years or older (so for our purposes 76 to 78) 2. The vehicle is insured with classic automobile coverage a. This implies it is not a primary use vehicle, which means proof of a daily driver is required b. A copy of the policy is required. 3. The vehicle will be subject to a tailpipe sniffer test and an inspection for fuel leaks. a. An under hood visual inspection is not performed. Marvin volunteered that the point in 3a is odd, that if they look for fuel leaks, then they are performing a visual inspection, but thought the regulation as written meant that if all else was in order and no fuel leak was observed that the criteria for being inspected as a classic car had been met.

I ran one fuse for six low-z injectors and one fuse for the six GM truck coils. I believe I ended up with 1 7.5A fuse for the injectors and 10A for the coils, but I may have that backwards. I started with 7.5A for both and blew one during a hard pull through 2nd & 3rd. This is with full sequential ignition and injection. I chose to use one fuse for each due to a limited selection of compact ATC fuse boxes.

I hit up eight more STAR certified shops on Friday and came away with no new details. I then found a web forum dedicated to SMOG techs and shops (who have no love for BAR or CARB). I joined to ask about the program and uncovered another nugget, a memorandum posted to the DMV inside newsletter, Vehicle Insider News 2012-12. The memo acknowledges the program exists, but directs all questions to BAR, but does not provide any new details about the program. So I will be calling BAR on Monday. I need a second car to qualify for Classic Car insurance, and the 84 Chevette Diesel addresses that need, my fondness for the Chevette and does not require any additional interaction with the SMOG industry.

If you are not facing a check in the near future I would suggest that you leave it as is and do as much reading as you are comfortable with on the MS system. The one time I had a problem with the sniffer test I had a loose TPS that had self-adjusted so it was always in full throttle mode (pig rich), Once I fixed that up it tested with only 5~7% of the allowed limits in each category. As long as your sensors and wiring connectors are in good shape the stock system is about as worry free as you can find.

What numbers are you close to failing on and what have you done to correct them? The MS will not correct issues with worn or stuck parts, and you then have to deal with potential issues with the visual inspection. The MS is an amazing investment and the flexibility that concerns you is what makes it so valuable, but from the info you provided I doubt it is the answer to your situation.

3mm might be excessive. I'd suggest making the spring pocket 1.5mm shallower and add not more that 1mm to the button dome. I will look to see if I can find a button to get a picture of it.

The switch internals get worn and loose contacts conduct poorly, heating up. A headlight relay harness eliminates the melting, but the buttons are still brittle and the springs have sagged a bit. The sprinkler bit worked better than expected as I ended up with it being a bit tall, which tightened up the stalk and applied more pressure to the contacts. The second item was obvious due to the much brighter headlights. A relay harness and slightly taller buttons would be a killer combo (pardon the pun)

No update yet, work has kept me too busy during the week. I printed out the section and will visit a few more shops to see if they know the rules or will be willing to look them up. I am keeping a record of the shops that do not/did not know the policy and forwarding it off to senators La Malfa and Vargas who drafted SB 1224, and my local senator who voted against it. The existence of this option was part of the official reason the bill was rejected. Once I find a shop that does, I need to procure a POS to be my new daily so the insurance companies will issue the Classic coverage. I am scouring the country for an early 80s Chevette diesel to meet the second vehicle requirement. Once I have a result I'll post back.

The carrier the two buttons ride in is made of the same plastic, but does not suffer as much as it is not in direct contact with the copper bus plates that complete the electrical connection. I suppose they could get brittle with age, but the buttons and springs are impossible to find, printing buttons would solve half the problem. I've had two of the buttons melt, with no obvious damage to the rest of the switch. The first time I was able to find a damaged switch to scavenge the buttons and springs. The second time I ended up carving up a drip line sprinkler nozzle until it fit the pocket and had the correct height and profile to let the switch work.