6/28/07-5:30am day after i bought the car. slept 45min that night, so i woke up and put in new headlights. Thanx to Big Bro for the help!
old one on the left, new one on the right
Done!
6/30/07-FIRST OIL CHANGE
Had to find the right jack spot..
GOTTA have the bricks...
This is the Box of goodies the previous owner threw in w/ the car..it includes a new center console piece, new motor mounts, a new temp gauge, new window switches, 2 air filters, two '5.0 tuned port injection' decals, and a few other things.
7/1/07-RADIO PROBLEMS: the radio has been acting like it is haunted, randomly skimming through stations and adjusting the volume, bass etc with out me even touching it. the previous owner said there might be some loose wires or something. so i took it out..but couldnt find anything. i left it out so i wouldnt be annoyed by it anymore. i have the EXHAUST for my radio now.
I really gotta replace them hood struts lol...disconnected the battery.
Took off the face plate...couldnt find anything wrong, so i fully removed the radio.
7/1/07- REPLACED UGLY A$$ WINDSHIELD WIPERS!!
I couldnt stand those blue ones!
7/1/07- REMOVED RUSTING, NEVER USED FOG LIGHTS
It was a simple unbolting, they are way beyond repair of any kind.
7/2/07- REPLACED FAN SWITCH
OLD switch
Wiring for new switch and the finished look
THE PARTS I BOUGHT.
7/4/07- TRUNK MOTOR WENT OUT
...turns out it was just the little plastic gear that got stripped over time (pictured on the right). but the local Chevy dealer only sells the ENTIRE latch and motor assembly..and they want $600. (FF***** NO!!!) i'll have to check the other local Chevy dealer, pontiac dealers, and ebay
7/6/07- TRICK HIDDEN FAN SWITCH
I did this hidden fan switch while installling my new center console today.
7/8/07- REPLACED DRIVERS SIDE DOOR LOCK
view of the lock from the inside of the door...and the old lock after being removed.
7/16/07-MY WINDOWS DONT WORK!! all the fuses are good but they dont work.
7/16/07-WINDOWS FIXED- loose wiring that I just had to find and fix
7/18/07-NEW TRUNK MOTOR GEAR ARRIVED-just need the correct lubricant
7/20/07-Started painting interior pieces
Spare tire cover
rear trunk hatch cover thingy
Those two pieces back in the car
7/22/07-More painting
top latch cover
7/23/07-More painting
7/24/07-Turtle Wax Liquid Clay Bar Ice
BEFORE
AFTER
Turn signals before and after
8/4/07-NEW BRAKES!! My bro and i were up til 1am but we got it done
8/15/07-Got a/c recharged...but found that the combo of my coolin fan activated by the kill switch and the a/c system trying to turn the fan on like in stock form draws too much power and stalls the engine. so i wont be usin my ac lol
8/22/07-well heres a lil timeline. wednesdays are sidework days at the dealer so my bro and i were changin the spark plugs in my car.
6:00: 1st 2 go relatively smooth.
6:15-7:00: spark plug socket got stuck behind the headers on plug #3...spent 45min gettin it out. (1st broken plug wire)
7:15-8:00: next 5 plugs were pain in the butt....(2more broken plug wires)....limped my car on 5cylinders into the parkin lot so it wouldnt get locked in the shop.
8:15-8:30: took my bro's car to autozone...they didnt have plug wires.
8:45-9:00: went to advance autoparts...THANK GGOOSSH they had plug wires.
9:15-10:15: in the backlot of the dealership crawlin under and out and back under etc. changin the plug wires.
10:30-10:45: DROVE HOME!! runs like a freakin champ its bad ass:)
8/23/07-NEW TIRES arrived
8/23/07-new distributor cap/rotor installed
8/29/07-Installed new fuel filter
9/1/07-Bought new rear diff. cover seal and rear pinion seal
9/9/07-RED TURN SIGNALS!
Before...
no lights (but officer...)
9-15-07-FAN SWITCH FIRE
while on ritchie highway i start smellin the smell of burnin rubber (no i wasnt doin burnouts lol) and then i look down at my center console and see a small flick of orange..and then my car fills up w/ smoke. THANK GOD i had my windows down. so i whipped into a parkin lot and shut her down. but the smoke still poured. so i turned the fan switch off and it finally stopped. so it turns out my fan switch wiring caught on fire WHILE I WAS DRIVING. THANK GOD i dont have a radio or it could have been HELL. so now my fan doesnt work:( but atleast no major damage was done
9-16-07-I decided to replace the cooling fan relays to try and get the fan working like it was made to. but the new ones do not look exactly like the old ones...and the part numbers were not on the parts...just the boxes. so when i took the new ones out of the boxes, i did not know which one was which. My brother had the same problem with his firebird a few years back, so we will take another look at it tomorrow.
9-17-07-MAJOR UPDATE these next pics will show the real "redneck" hack wiring job the prev. owners did on the fan switch.
my dad says its so screwed up the only option is to put in stronger wires in place of the old ones the prev. owners put in......until i can put the car in a shop and have the whole fan doohickey setup rewired.
these are pics of the fan motor relay as i found them after removing the layers of old electrical tape....
this was beside the wires in the 1st pic
this orange wire is what connects all of the relays etc that allow the fan to turn on like in stock form. they completely removed this.
9/21/07-Got the fan working manually again
10/14/07-Finally i can roc n roll in my roc
Simple operation, decent sound (age of speakers unknown), and matching color scheme.
10/17/07-New rear brake pads(drum brakes)/hardware; 2nd oil change
10/18/07-Rear brakes still squeak, have to replace the actual drums themselves. Also need to get e-brake adjusted.
10/24/07-Power steering pump went out as I pulled in to work:(
10/27/07-Power steering fixed
12/12/07-Old muffler removal **BIG THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING MECHANICS: Steve, Chad, Leo, K.C., J.R, & my brother Jason
Took some persuasion, and more cutting but it came out:)
**12/22/07-Prev. owner's stupid hackjob fan switch wiring has finally done its toll. iroc aint runnin. It died w/ no warning while sitting at a stop light less than a mile from home. goin in shop on 12/24. On the bright side i wont have to worry about it anymore! Cooling system/ac will finally work like it was made to. Also, the shop owner was kind enough to store my car inside over the holiday until they start working on it.
12/27/07-Got the car back, but now NO turn signals or interior lights.
12/28/08-EVERYTHING IS FINALLY WORKING AGAIN
1/9/08-Custom exhaust installed
1/23/08-Oil change, new steering center link, new rear drums
2/6/08-Hooked up a fuel pressure gauge, need a new fuel pump and fuel level gauge sending unit. Still waiting on new radiator to come in
2/16/08-New fuel pump/sending unit installed. Radiator arrived; awaiting installation
3/2/08-New radiator and coolant hoses
Old one out and new one in
3/17/08-New MAF sensor
3/19/08-Smog pump is dead, but does not affect drivability
3/23/08-Fixed hatch pull down assembly
4/4/08-Installed H4 5000K Halogen headlights
4/6/08-New lights were causing issues, had to take them out.
4/15/08-Dents pulled and primered. Need new front bumper/spoiler before paint job
4/19/08-New front calipers and pads; Bled Brakes
5/19/08-Ordered set of KYB shocks and struts
5/25/08-Re-installed H4 5000K Halogen headlights, fixed wiring issue
6/5/08- New KYB shocks and struts installed
6/10/08- Polished turn signals
6/18/08- New tires and alignment
General Exclaim UHP 245/50/16Z
6/26/08- Replaced passenger side windshield wiper arm
7/4/08- Began replacing fuel injectors
Old vs. new
7/7/08- Injector replacement complete! rain and autozone not having my new intake gaskets delayed me alot.
7/9/08- Replaced front brake hoses
7/23/08- New alternator
7/27/08- Ordered new gas gauge
8/11/08- Car is going into shop to fix fuel pressure issue, new water pump, another new power steering pump, new cold start injector
8/26/08- Replaced driver side door handle
8/27/08- 10,000K HID's installed
10/26/08- There is some type of short in the circuit that powers the radio. Fuse blows the second i put it in.
10/29/08- Driver side courtesy light underneath the dash was causing the short. Fixed
10/30/08- Horn blew the fuse on the same circuit as above
11/10/08- Need to fix EGR trouble code so i can adjust timing
12/3/08- New PCV valve
2/8/09- New Cold start injector thermo time switch and coolant temp sending unit
2/14/09- New 6K Bi-Xenon HID kit
3/1/09 Resealed lower intake manifold and plenum
-New EGR valve
-Resealed Fuel Rail
-Resealed Valve Covers
-Replaced exhaust donut gaskets
-New Smog Pump
3/13/09 New MAF sensor plug in
New Knock sensor
Diagnosing temperature gauge circuit issue
3/29/09 Fog Light Install
5-8-09- car overheated
5-9-09- fan motor went up in smoke, cause of overheating. also gotta fix some chafed wiring at the relays
5-13-09- Still in the shop
5-27-09- Basic oil change and chassis greasing
5-31-09- Gonna pressure test cooling system soon, may have small leak somewhere.
6-7-09- Tested cooling system. found a bad radiator drain plug. leak fixed.
Finally took a dremel to my headlight buckets to correctly fit my h4 housings with the right gaskets on them
6-9-09- Began researching and trying to put together all the parts i will need for my HID projector retrofit. list as of right now:
FX-R bi-xenon projectors
Hella Gen 3-R 35W HID ballasts
Morimoto 5000K D2S bulbs
H4 Bi-xenon PNP wire harness
$345 + 8.50 shipping via UPS ground with insurance and tracking
Ocular shrouds will be an extra $35...havent decided on which ones i want yet.
contact matt at http://store.theretrofitsource.com/
6-13-09- Overheated again..hoepfully broken thermostat. diagnose tomorrow
6-14-09- Thermostat replaced. no more overheating.
Master cylinder replaced; brakes bled and flushed.
6-18-09- ran mp3 cord thru center console
been wantin to do this for awhile. more time was spent takin the shifter plate on and off than drilling. very easy. here are pics and a lil info!
what i didnt do was make a slot in the console lip (where the 2 bolts on top are) to allow it to close all the way. the latch on my console lid is broken so it doesnt stay closed neway. that would probly take just another 2 or 3 minutes to do.
drilled a hole in the ashtray, the hole on the left is for mp3, hole on right is for aftermarket fog light switch
this hole was already there, i just had to enlarge it a little bit.
ziptied here to avoid gettin tangled in the shift linkage, ran thru the gears to check, no interference. left it a little loose to allow for slack in the cord.
results!
unplugged from headunit can tuck inside the tray and close the lid like normal.
6-21-09- Purchased trans pan gasket and filter.
6-25-09- Got new rear y-pipe on exhaust and new chrome tips. once i buy the front y-pipe it will go on promptly
6-25-09- More cooling system issues
6-28-09- Pressure tested cooling system and compression tested cylinders. Passed both tests.
Installed Sunpro aftermarket temperature gauge
Problem: Cooling fan does not come on at designated temperature. it will however come on when the A/C is on.
Replaced fan relay, no luck.
6-29-09- Diagnosed fan problem. The wire that plugs into the fan switch mysteriously unplugged itself. Problem is, I spent an hour crawling around and looking and cannot find the wire.
6-30-09- Ordered new pig tail for the fan switch. once it arrives i will need to find out how to wire it in
http://tpiparts.net/inc/sdetail/772
7-3-09- Ignore the crap about the fan switch. not the problem. replaced coolant temp sensor, fan came on, but car still overheated
7-5-09- Car did great with no T-stat in it
7-8-09- Got a T-stat from GM dealer, try that one later.
7-9-09- Finally got tired of those crappy HIDS and put some silverstar sealed beams in. no more hid until a full authentic hid projector retrofit
7-19-09- Replaced horn
7-21-09- the fan isnt comin on with the key in the on position but as far as i kno comes on while drivin at temp. brand new relay.
if the car gets up to the temp when the fan comes on (checked adn it comes on goes off like it should) and run into the store for about 5minutes the car gets up to 250.
temp slowly creeps up when i drive at highway speeds
7-22-09- Put the thermostat from the dealer in, car seems to perform better than before
8-3-09- replaced a few relay/sensor connectors
8-9-09- ordered a few more relay connectors, new water neck and schraeder valve.
8-20-09- New front y-pipe installed.
8-23-09- Resealed thermostat no leaks now.
Did a quick polish on the taillights
8-25-09
so ya 2 years ago i failed emissions twice and got a waiver since i spent more than 400 trying to fix it. waiver is up in a couple months so i decided to get it tested yesterday.
keep in mind down at school i got the intake resealed, new plugs, wires, cap and rotor, smog pump, egr valve, etc..so i was fully expecting to take the test.
i didnt have the piece of paper they mail to you informing you that you need to take the test...so when i got there the lady (white but not hot) just took my registration and went back in her office. she came back out in 5 minutes, and handed me another waiver, which said im good until 2011. 
8-26-09- Replaced Transmission filter, gasket, and fluid.
8-29-09- OEM fog lights installed
Fog lights with high beams mod
9-1-09- Silverstar fog light bulbs to match headlights
9-6-09- Fog light shattered need new set
9-13-09- Oil change, chassis greasing
9-13-09- ordered new set of h4 conversions, should work better.
also ordered relay harness to use if necessary
9-14-09- Ordering Kicker 6 x 9 rear speakers next paycheck
9-15-09- Installed relay harness and h4 conversions with sylvania silverstart ULTRA bulbs. very pleased!!
Low and High beams were aimed on a computerized aiming machine after installation.
9-19-09- Tried Bi-xenon hid's with new housings for one night just for the heck of it...to see how they would look. horrible like i expected, ready for projectors
9-27-09- Projector parts arrived
order was updated with better ballasts, so here is what I got
FX-R bi-xenon projectors
Greddy slim size 35W HID ballasts
Morimoto 5000K D2S bulbs
H4 Bi-xenon PNP wire harness
Projectors:
Size comparison of ballasts, size of a credit card!!
10-14-09
Estimate to repair doors
New pins and bushings, new hinge kit on left side: $215
$150 paid for by birthday gift from parents
Window regulator on driver side is starting to go, worried about that
10-19-09- Doors finished
10-29-09- Discovered a puddle of water in the trunk after rain.
Heater blower motor starting and stopping randomly. look into replacement before total failure
11-22-09- Replaced blower motor
Have not seen any water in trunk since the first incident
11-25-09- Oil Change and chassis greasing
