Removed Home Plate Baffle

Installed my Camaro/Firebird intake elbow last night and got rid of the giant "home plate" baffle that covered the upper engine. You can SEE the big LT1 now...there's a real engine in there!

It was nasty-dirty and dusty under the baffle, the entire top of the engine was a mess. I had some Gunk Engine Brite and sprayed the engine down, let it sit, and hosed it off. Fired the car up and it was running rough, check engine light started blinking and then came on solid. SUPER!

Decided to drive it to heat it up. It smoothed out before I got to the end of my street, but went ahead and got on the highway to make sure the engine got good and hot. Drove back home, CE light still on, but car running fine. Pulled the battery cable for a minute to clear the codes. Put it back, no CE light. Lesson learned, LT1's don't like to get wet.

It was about 11pm now. Wiped off some of the underhood trim but the engine still really needs to be detailed. At least I got the bulk of the dirty mess cleaned off the top of the engine, and all the plastic baffles are gone finally.

I really want to install the Corvette fuel rail covers now but there are a lot of hoses and wires that have to be re-routed, and the fuel lines have to come off. Plus I still need to remove the "home plate" baffle mount. GM routed everything nicely on the Corvette's, but on the Impala/Caprice/Roadmaster LT1 they just let everything run wherever on the engine and covered the mess up with that big black engine baffle cover.

Still have a project there, but it's coming along!

-Mike

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Next time, have the engine running when you rinse it.

Remove that plate bracket!!!! Ugh!

Take out the 4 10mm (8mm?) bolts on the fuel rails, remove it, and them put the bolts back in. It totally cleans it up 100% more.

Wow...that is such a nice engine bay...no rusty lines, cracked up rubber....bubbling inner fenders. Very nice

If you want to keep the bracket for harness support...you can mod it a bit and re paint it. I did that a few times. Hard to tell from the pic, but you can see how I modded it.

You can also just cut off the knubb at the bottom of home plate and keep it AND the F-body elbow. (if you like that stock look)

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I've got Corvette fuel rail covers and mounts sitting on my workbench now. It's my next project. I'm a little intimidated by that job, ha!

Yours looks VERY nice and clean. Don't see crusty metal in those pics!

While I'm a native Texan, I went through part of junior high and all of high
school up in New Jersey. All my first cars had the crusty undersides thanks to the winter roads.

After having to use torches to break bolts loose, getting bloody knuckles when bolts broke, and breathing enough penetrating oil to give me cancer ten times over, I swore off salt cars for good. Life is TOO SHORT. ; )

I remember the rust flakes in my eyes, hair, and teeth. Oh and red numb fingers from frostbite.

My first car was an '81 Chevy Citation...a vehicle that pretty much rusted at the dealership before delivery.

My first "project" was a 68 Buick Skylark Custom that had spent it's entire life in the northeast. I still have nighmares about replacing the rusty exhaust system on that car myself....outside on my parents gravel driveway in New Jersey...in Febuary.

That being said, I do miss the Englishtown and Carlisle swap meets a lot. GOOD memories from those.

Have a great day folks!

When I moved back to Texas from New Jersey in 1993, I bought a nice clean 1985 Pontiac Grand Prix LE in Dallas. 305 V8, 200R4, buckets, floor shift, even a tach, real nice car. BUT the best part was that first weekend I jacked it up to replace the worn shocks. The underside was shocking. NO RUST. ZERO. I'd never had a car that looked like that on the underside.

I remember laying under the car in the parking lot of my college apartment just looking at the underside. I'm sure the neighbors thought I'd fallen asleep or something.

The best part was when I went to remove the original shocks, and the bolts came loose like they'd been installed a week ago. After breaking the bolts loose I was able to take them the rest of the way off with my fingers. No penetrating grease needed. I'm telling you it was shocking.

That "cured" me of salt cars for life.

I have NOTHING but respect for you folks that have to deal with winter road cars. I've been there, and you guys are TOUGH!

-Mike