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Man, this is hard to watch. I don’t even know what to say. Here’s my take, buddy: the Fairmont videos should stop temporarily. Bring back repair videos, FiF, etc. I know that’s not easy to do as it takes time to even stop one thing, film another, and then edit it and put it up to YouTube. Stuff like the Chevy Truck are what’s going to get views because there are a million of them out there. Sure, other Chevy Truck videos are out there but nobody is as thorough as you, Eric.
You have a way with words and tools that very few people have in such beautiful combination. Finish the Fairmont and shoot videos on it. They will come out in time. What I would do is finish it, film the conclusion (drag strip, burnouts, etc.), and then make a series of 1 to 2 hour videos chronicling the path that got you there. You built this car and as detailed as you are, of course there is going to be a mountain of footage — that’s just the way it is.
You know so much more than me about being a YouTuber and these are just my suggestions which may not work in practice or make sense for your channel from where you are sitting. You know how much I love and respect you as a friend, and regardless of what happens in the future, I look forward to sitting down with you and having a drink again. It’s always worth the trip.
Much love, Eric
— NickIf the linkage is all bent up because of someone bang shifting it in road races it could be as simple as the linkage needing replaces. But like College Man said it could also mean a real nightmare.
It’s GM’s certification for engine oils that meet their standards. I am not a petroleum engineer but the oils that are dexos certified are good enough for GM engines. It’s necessary to use Dexos approved motor oils with your GM vehicle if you want to maintain the warranty.
Looks like you have the 4.2L. Sometimes harmonic damper/balancers go bad. It’s not good for your engine for it to be loose, as it makes the engine unbalanced and the engine will shake if it is bad. Get it fixed soon.
The 6 speed cuts both ways. Yes, it has low first and second gears to get you going, but it also has a high 6th gear which means that the little 3.5 may not have enough torque to keep you going on the highway even on flat ground. Plus, I like all the acceleration I can get in my truck. YMMV.
Good luck!
That little N/A 3.5 motor needs all the gear reduction it can get to get moving. But since you live in TX, you could probably get away with the 3.55’s since it’s pretty flat there from what I understand. If you get the V8, 3.31’s would work just fine. The e-locker locks the rear wheels together for extra traction as opposed to an open rear end that just lets one wheel slip when you lose traction. The regular cab short beds have the least utility and so are generally cheaper. I have a regular cab short bed and I love it, though.
If you’re looking for fuel economy you want the naturally aspirated 3.5L with the 3.73 axle ratio. I don’t know where you live but having 2WD is good for MPG as well. I don’t know your needs so far as space is concerned, but the N/A 3.5L with 2WD and a super cab, 6.5′ bed is a good middle ground. And if you only get 2WD, make sure to get the E-Locker.
I had an EM4E and man, what a piece of trash! I have a 1981 El Camino as well and the best thing I did was find a cheap, older quadrajet and rebuild it for like $30. The electronic ones are such a pain! I don’t think that the solenoid for the metering rods has a spring. It wouldn’t survive long going up and down 10 times a second full bore for too long. It’s just an electromagnet. So far as I recall the screws near the primary metering rods are the rich and lean stops. If any of the sites linked above make me wrong, that’s fine. I tried to forget about that god forsaken carburator a long, long time ago. Thing is, they are fine carbs with the stock ECU. But to modify the drivetrain at all, you pretty much have to throw all the electronic CCC (Computer Command Control) stuff out the window.
If it’s white smoke coming out of the tailpipe it’s burning coolant and is a sure sign of a blown head gasket.
If you are sure, then it’s still the same process. It just has the cap on the reservoir instead of the radiator. The reservoir cap is what keeps the pressure in the system.
That really sounds like air to me. But another really cheap fix is the radiator cap. Get a good OEM replacement one. People have looked for ages for a fix for their cooling system just to have it be the radiator cap. If you rad cap is weak it will be letting pressure out of the system too soon and cause overheating because the coolant will boil. But try bleeding the system first since it’s free.
And welcome to the forum, by the way!
Those gaskets in a bottle are bad news, man. I know not everyone is made of money, though. You could be consuming coolant via a leaking head gasket. If the lower radiator hose is still cool, then I think it’s a water pump. The radiator is doing it’s job and it takes a long time to cool down, sounds like the radiator is doing its job. I have seen these types of problems before. You should try to burp your cooling system as a first attempt though.