Update on the "Igloo"

Hey folks. I joined a couple months ago and never really gave any info on my longroof. I have a '93 Caprice Classic with an LO5 which I bought this past March off the original owner. Car was in really great shape, minus the typical 'Wag rust which is in the process of being fixed. Anywho, here's what ive done so far and what is still to come.

Already Complete

-Replaced intake manifold gaskets (small leak at the front of the IM)

-Primed and bondo'ed left quarter (mostly temp until I get new quarters)

-Patched right quarter (same as above, waiting for new quarters)

-Popped a couple dents

-Replaced tailgate solenoid

Still to come

-Full rebuild of the LO5, probably this winter when I planned on driving the car less.

-Full detail of the engine bay/ repaint inner fenders

-Finish undercoating (SEM/ Rustoleum)

-Fix temp gauge on the cluster (doesn't give any reading)

-Finish resurfacing the molding around the wood trim

-replace current tires with white walls

-Tint windows

-New speakers

Wow, that looks exactly like mine did when I got it It's a little different now though.

Nice wagon.

Nice! Keep us posted!!

Dude - just install a REAL temp gage, that has actual numbers on it and everything.

I modded my ashtray and mounted a 3 gauge cluster in there - and having it saved my motor last month when my radiator blew out going down the expressway. I got to a parking lot with it WELL over 220 degrees and climbing - and the hot light still hadn't come on.

I'm into this thing for under $35. Yes I know they don't match. No, I don't care.



Also - that's a pretty cool car to start with. If I bought a car like that, I'd totally get red rallye wheels on it with fat whitewall tires (even if I had to make my own), then tape off flames on the roof and paint the rest of the roof red.

Your results may vary though.

Bewber wrote:

Dude - just install a REAL temp gage, that has actual numbers on it and everything.

I modded my ashtray and mounted a 3 gauge cluster in there - and having it saved my motor last month when my radiator blew out going down the expressway. I got to a parking lot with it WELL over 220 degrees and climbing - and the hot light still hadn't come on.

I'm into this thing for under $35. Yes I know they don't match. No, I don't care.



Also - that's a pretty cool car to start with. If I bought a car like that, I'd totally get red rallye wheels on it with fat whitewall tires (even if I had to make my own), then tape off flames on the roof and paint the rest of the roof red.

Your results may vary though.

Bewber,

What make is the tach. in your cluster? I have been planning on adding a tach but didn't want to screw into the dash or attach to the steering column. Great idea and I may have to borrow it.

You might be able to mod the dash with an OCC cluster if you use the OCC pigtails. You get all the gauges, and it would look "original". You would not have the ashtray sticking out all of the time either. The pointers on an OCC cluster are red, and it looks the best of all analog clusters.

The sender is probably your temp gauge issue, not the dash gauge. It is located behind the #1 cylinder.

It was a cheapy tach that they had on sale at Harbor Freight. I had the same thoughts as you originally - but now that my car is a little more obnoxoius and cartoony, I guess I wouldn't be as opposed to a big cartoony looking one ring-clamped to the column.

I think I got the 3 gauge cluster and the tach all for under $30, but replaced the Ampes gauge with the tach. When it came time for the oil pressure gauge - I decided to go with the Sunpro one that I'd already had on the shelf since it's a known and better brand of gauge. Thats why they don't match.

For the tach, you have to run a new wire all the way to the PCM. It's not hard. There's a pin on the PCM that provides tach output - but our cars didn't tap into it for some reason.

For the coolant temp, I unplugged a factory plug on the cylinder head that was between the front 2 spark plugs on the drivers side. I needed a couple brass adapters from the hardware store, but it wasn't a big deal.

For the oil pressure, I used the factory location at the top of the block just behind the intake manifold. I used a T fitting to accomodate both my new line, and to also keep the factory sensor as well so the dummy light system would continue to work.

Also - since that tach is so small and I really only use it for referencing consistency in my RPMs while on the highway (higher RPMs than normal may indicate transmission slippage) - I run it on the 4 cylinder setting, which essentially doubles - or magnifies - the actual rpms - making it easier to see any fluctuations that much sooner.

Despite being so small the tach works great for me because - as I said - I don't really care what the RPMs are, I just care that they're consistent.

Using the ashtray worked out because they're out of the way, I made use of what was otherwise USELESS space, and I can hide them if I want to for any reason.

LMK if you have any questions about it - and good luck.

John

Fred Kiehl wrote:

You might be able to mod the dash with an OCC cluster if you use the OCC pigtails. You get all the gauges, and it would look "original". You would not have the ashtray sticking out all of the time either. The pointers on an OCC cluster are red, and it looks the best of all analog clusters.

The sender is probably your temp gauge issue, not the dash gauge. It is located behind the #1 cylinder.

Good point. My car is a 95, so I didn't get any functional gauges like yours.

Bewber wrote:

Also - that's a pretty cool car to start with. If I bought a car like that, I'd totally get red rallye wheels on it with fat whitewall tires (even if I had to make my own), then tape off flames on the roof and paint the rest of the roof red.

Minus the tints, new WW's and possibly Roadie seats. It's staying bone stock.

Fred Kiehl wrote:

The sender is probably your temp gauge issue, not the dash gauge. It is located behind the #1 cylinder.

Yeah, the brass sensor with the plug on top right? I replaced the one on the intake manifold and the one on the bottom end of the engine.

One other thing... You mentioned the OCC cluster. Will the 91-93 Roadmaster one fit too? or are the dashboards different?

If you haven't tried seats out of a bonneville, I highly recomend you do.

Two weekends ago I rode 3 hours in stock seats and my back was killing me. We got home saturday night at 11pm, and within 12 hours I'd already pulled a set of bonneville seats out of a car at the yard. Last weekend I drove SEVEN hours straight with the bonnies in and had ZERO back pain.

The cost? TWENTY BUCKS!

Just get a set that was on manual rails and bolt your seats rails to them. 45 minute job.

That's just my .02. If you're hung up on roady seats, then more power to ya. I just thought I'd mention what worked out so well for me (and thousands of others).

negative side of the coil is good for tach signal,. easier than going to the pcm,.

nick

Cadet57 wrote:

One other thing... You mentioned the OCC cluster. Will the 91-93 Roadmaster one fit too? or are the dashboards different?

91-93 RMW/S clusters are interchangable with the OCC. Not as pretty, but will work equally well. You have to add the tailgate ajar light to the Sedan cluster. You also have to rewire with the pigtails from the donor, just like the OCC cluster.

The cluster swaps 91-93 are a easy to do, you just need the donor cluster, pig tails and dash surround. The full cluster requires a larger hole than the plain jane version.

I used the 9C1/LTZ cluster with the digital speedo, not as fancy as either the OCC or RM cluster but is a great improvement over the idiot light setup. I grabbed the gauge seding unit and now have a gauge that actually READS the oil pressure.



Like Nick said, it is easier to wire the tach off the coil than the ECM/PCM. On my 92 there as already a pigtail from the ECM that was unused so I just tapped into it.

If I ever do this job again though I tearing out the donor cars dash and removing the entire harness rather than just splice into the my one.

Seriously though - running a wire to the PCM wasn't even eventful. It took like a minute. Goood tip though on the coil guys. Thanks.

94Woody wrote:

The cluster swaps 91-93 are a easy to do, you just need the donor cluster, pig tails and dash surround. The full cluster requires a larger hole than the plain jane version.

Hmm. There is a '92 RMS at the local pick a part with an interior thats in pretty good shape. I considered buying the whole car for parts (has a bad trans but good frame) but when I came the next day to get a price the vultures had already begun to swoop in. Maybe i'll go scope it out. As I loved having all those gauges on my '92 RMW.

The dash surround has to come from a Caprice because the Road Master/OCC has a different setup. The cluster will bolt right in though.

Bewbz, the wire I used was the factory wire form the ECM, it is there on all the 91-93s, it just isn't plugged into anything on a non tach car. You are right though, it was very simple since the ECM is inside the car.

What dash surround do I need? I'm confused. The surround in my caprice now won't work?

Not if you have the standard Caprice without a tach. You'll need the surround from a 9C1 or LTZ.

94Woody wrote:

Not if you have the standard Caprice without a tach. You'll need the surround from a 9C1 or LTZ.

If I go with the '92 RMW cluster can I use that surround? As there is a '92 at the boneyard with a good cluster and surround.

Cadet57 wrote:

94Woody wrote:

Not if you have the standard Caprice without a tach. You'll need the surround from a 9C1 or LTZ.

If I go with the '92 RMW cluster can I use that surround? As there is a '92 at the boneyard with a good cluster and surround.

I am assuming you are referring to the woodgrain front of the dash as the surround. The 92 RMW/S have a different dash surround. You would have to get the surround (woodgrain) from a Caprice. The Caprice swoops down after it passes the radio, and the RMS is the same heigth all the way across. If you got the dash pad for the RMW/S as well, you should be able to use use both parts, and I believe they will bolt up without modification.

Fred Kiehl wrote:

Cadet57 wrote:

94Woody wrote:

Not if you have the standard Caprice without a tach. You'll need the surround from a 9C1 or LTZ.

If I go with the '92 RMW cluster can I use that surround? As there is a '92 at the boneyard with a good cluster and surround.

I am assuming you are referring to the woodgrain front of the dash as the surround. The 92 RMW/S have a different dash surround. You would have to get the surround (woodgrain) from a Caprice. The Caprice swoops down after it passes the radio, and the RMS is the same heigth all the way across. If you got the dash pad for the RMW/S as well, you should be able to use use both parts, and I believe they will bolt up without modification.

If that Roadmaster is still there i'll scope out all 3. IIRC the dash pad was in decent shape...

Sorry for the double post, but I have a question about the air ride. My car has it but I don't think its working. I dont hear the compressor click on when i start the car. The fuse for it is not blown but before I go under the car looking where is the plug for it located so I can make sure its not something simple as it being unplugged.

I posted this in the suspension forum but I think it'll get more notice here...

It is in front if the rear axle. There are a couple of connectors, and other assorted filters. There is also the sensor above the rear axle. which also has a connector, and actuating arm.

Fred Kiehl wrote:

It is in front if the rear axle. There are a couple of connectors, and other assorted filters. There is also the sensor above the rear axle. which also has a connector, and actuating arm.

Guess I'll be crawling under no matter what... Oh well. That'll go on the list for when my back is better.