Old time member returning

[3X00-Modified]

Actually restoring a model A is quite easy... everything is available repo.... now quality isn't the best but youcan buy literally every part. I should know I'm doing one now.

I think as time marches on these cars will be hard to keep going with less and less part support....

Touche... My father has a Ford 29 Coupe

[oldtimer88]

Yep, Greenville isn't very far from me at all. Maybe 2 hrs away?

I've been living in the Charlotte, NC area for the last 8 years. I'm not surprised you don't work for GM anymore; not many do. The old plants in downtown Lansing where the Alero/Grand Am and CTS were made are all torn down now (I only bring that up because IIRC you worked for the Lansing distribution hub or something like that way back when).

Greenville.... Where did you get that? I'm moving to the Charolette Area.... our office is just over the border in Ft Mill. Not sure exactly where we will live... depends on if I can find a house with a large enough garage! I never worked in Lansing... I worked for the parts division and then was a field rep for 10 years and then got laid off. I'm doing parts still but for heavy trucks. What do you do down here? Interesting our paths cross again!

Snow day here! Funny they are not equiped to handle stuff... they closed office so I'm back at my hotel working now.

[oldtimer88]

Actually restoring a model A is quite easy... everything is available repo.... now quality isn't the best but youcan buy literally every part. I should know I'm doing one now.

I think as time marches on these cars will be hard to keep going with less and less part support....

Touche... My father has a Ford 29 Coupe

Actually it seems mechanical parts are avail either GM or aftermarket... at least the stuff I have been needing. Anything else is becoming very scarce.... I’m lucky I have parts knowledge, a paper catalog and some friends and resources to help locate some stuff but I can see a point in time where it will be impossible.... if not then used will be only options as long as they don't keep crushing em'.

Case in point I fixed the notorious oil dist leak. I accidently snapped one of the hoses on the black spider that goes into tbody for the vacuum lines. I was fearful when tackling project because I knew it would be brittle as h*ll and I was right after all those years and heat.... I was able to fix with some rubber vac tube but I would like to replace. Part is long gone so I am going to have to find a used part. Hopefully I can find a decent one at a upull-it or maybe a member has a parts car/engine I can get one from.

[oldtimer88]

I will say welcome back, even though your presence here far pre-dates mine. I am one of the many (?) bstuff orphans from several years ago that finally crawled back into the light. I would love to see some pics of your car -non-power windows in a black digi-dash GT?? Sounds like something I would have ordered myself, if I ever bought a new car... Very cool, in my opinion.

Hope to see you around more on the site. It has been pretty dead around here lately, and not picking up either. Maybe Spring time will see some more activity though.

What was bstuff? I think that must have came after I left.... I'll take some more pictures when I get home this weekend.

I can't say how much I'll be on.... but I noticed a lot of "old" posts on a page so I guessed not much activity. Based on your sig you have some unique cars... have any pictures? Im interested in the cars you did engine swaps on.... sounds interesting!

[SummitBalt08]

Bstuff was one of the main Beretta forums that went under.. several times came back... then went under permanently in 09 iirc

Nice looking Beretta! I wasnt in the group when you were, but awesome to see you held on to your Beretta since then

[heavywoody]

Greenville.... Where did you get that? I'm moving to the Charolette Area.... our office is just over the border in Ft Mill. Not sure exactly where we will live... depends on if I can find a house with a large enough garage! I never worked in Lansing... I worked for the parts division and then was a field rep for 10 years and then got laid off. I'm doing parts still but for heavy trucks. What do you do down here? Interesting our paths cross again!

Snow day here! Funny they are not equiped to handle stuff... they closed office so I'm back at my hotel working now.

I guess I saw German automaker and South Carolina and figured BMW... oops!

If you need any pointers on areas to stay away from or to look at, let me know. I live in Concord, NE of Charlotte. I couldn't remember if you were in Lansing or just mentioned in when we met... it was 14-15 years ago after all!

I'm in Manufacturing, currently working with an HDPE recycling plant (we shred, wash, then extruder plastic pellets for customers to reuse as a cost savings vs using virgin material; been here for 3 years now).

It is amusing how they handle snow; we're still plugging away here though. Most of our guys lived in Chicago for a while, so they know how to drive in this weather.

[bonecrrusher]

Hooray snow days!

Are you working for Mercedes Trucking right next to the Knights Stadium?

I am just up the road on highway 160 on the NC side near 485.

Not sure if you recognize my screen name as I have been here forever - you might even predate me... haha.

[oldtimer88]

Hooray snow days!

Are you working for Mercedes Trucking right next to the Knights Stadium?

I am just up the road on highway 160 on the NC side near 485.

Not sure if you recognize my screen name as I have been here forever - you might even predate me... haha.

Yes... Daimler Trucks. Nope don't recgonize you... seems like the Charolette area is a hot bed for Beretta's

[oldtimer88]

I guess I saw German automaker and South Carolina and figured BMW... oops!

If you need any pointers on areas to stay away from or to look at, let me know. I live in Concord, NE of Charlotte. I couldn't remember if you were in Lansing or just mentioned in when we met... it was 14-15 years ago after all!

I'm in Manufacturing, currently working with an HDPE recycling plant (we shred, wash, then extruder plastic pellets for customers to reuse as a cost savings vs using virgin material; been here for 3 years now).

It is amusing how they handle snow; we're still plugging away here though. Most of our guys lived in Chicago for a while, so they know how to drive in this weather.

Cool... when I get the car down here will have to get together. Yeah guess it was a long time ago... I don’t remember did you drive your car in the autocross also? Snow isn't so bad it’s the ice here. I find the general sense of panic rather funny... I will say the roads are bad. I’ve driven snow covered roads in Alaska, Montana and the Dakotas and nothing quite like this....

[Rettax3]

Hope to see you around more on the site. It has been pretty dead around here lately, and not picking up either. Maybe Spring time will see some more activity though.

Based on your sig you have some unique cars... have any pictures? Im interested in the cars you did engine swaps on.... sounds interesting!

Not to dilute your thread at all, but I do like showing off my cars, and there aren't many places I can take the Berettas to and say 'lookie, cool huh?' and get anything other than rolling eyes. So since you asked, and since I can't seems to figure out how to link in other threads, here are a few pics of them...

This was my first 'Retta, the '90 Turbo. She is lying, she actually has a 3.4 intercooled turbo, not a 3.1...

Here is my Super Charged 3800 II GTU, after the engine and five-speed swap, but before the six-speed conversion and the theft of my GTU rims (she has been wearing GTZ wheels for a few years now).

This was (is?) my '95 Z. I don't have many pics of this car, and I have to go back halfway across the country to get her again, but I really do want to. She has had a VERY hard life, but still has a lot of life left, too.

Here is the prettiest of the Berettas in my family. So far mechanically stock (!), she is slated for a five-speed swap, and will likely get a low mileage 3.4 TDC engine I have from a Z-34 Lumina. I might try to use the correct Muncie/Getrag 284 for that engine, which will need custom or hybrid CV joints, or I might save that tranny for my Fiero and just use a 282.

This is a bad old photo of my V-8 Indy (current project). I need to get some new shots of this car, and I think I have some pics of the re-build on the V-8 install I'm doing. This one, well, it is what it is, and 'unique' is a kind word, that and 'potential'.

[oldtimer88]

Hope to see you around more on the site. It has been pretty dead around here lately, and not picking up either. Maybe Spring time will see some more activity though.

Based on your sig you have some unique cars... have any pictures? Im interested in the cars you did engine swaps on.... sounds interesting!

Not to dilute your thread at all, but I do like showing off my cars, and there aren't many places I can take the Berettas to and say 'lookie, cool huh?' and get anything other than rolling eyes. So since you asked, and since I can't seems to figure out how to link in other threads, here are a few pics of them...

10-22-12_1459.jpg

08-03-09_1126.jpg

08-07-10_0622.jpg

06-10-13_wased-n-waxed2a.jpg

01-22-09_1145.jpg

Thanks thats pretty cool.... I would be interested to learn more about the swaps... are they one some old threads? That and some pics of the engines?

[Rettax3]

I did a full write-up on the 3800 swap back on the bstuff site, which is gone now, and I had it all stored on my old computer, which was stolen about two years ago. I can answer questions for people on it, but basically I proved the swap could be done with the tools necessary for any engine swap, a power-drill and a hack-saw (I also used a MIG welder and a porta-band, but they weren't strictly 'necessary'). I also made my wiring-harness as a plug-in to the Beretta's engine-bay wiring, so there is nothing permanently modified on my GTU, except for two holes in the right sub-frame, and one ground-wire from the fuel-pump was cut and spliced. This was not strictly necessary either, as I ran the 3800 on the GTU's stock pump for about a year before swapping in the 3800's multi-speed fuel-pump control and a Bonneville SSEi 3800 SC fuel-pump. I also cut-out some of the ground effects, where they were cracked anyway, for the exhaust-outlets, one on each side. I do have some more pics of the cars on here, I think I have some in the 'Members Rides' section.

Here is a fairly recent pic of the GTU's engine-bay. I have since replaced the missing 'u' from the valve-cover though.

Here is the six-speed I put into the car (before modifications).

My '90 Turbo was upgraded with a 3400 block and ported-out 3.1 MPFI Turbo top-end, modified for roller-rockers and 1.5" primary headers feeding a new Garrett T-4 externally waste-gated turbo-charger. I've been fighting chronic oil-leaks from the turbo's supply-lines, and have been playing with different instrument clusters for it, so it hasn't gotten much run-time since the swap was finished.

It took two tries to get this engine working right in the car. I bought it from the salvage yard for $60 with a 'blown head gasket' that was actually a blown-out LIMG. I didn't know that it had already spun the rear main bearing, so it developed no oil-pressure once warm. I pulled it out, and later re-built it into this.

In the car now. It runs like a monster, and makes almost as much torque as the 3800 SC (pushing 300 foot-pounds, or more).

[Rettax3]

I don't have any new pics of the V-8 Indy. Here are the old ones from before I took it home. It is an original five-speed digi-dash car. Most likely, I will re-paint the car in black with teal accents and custom teal Indy decals. It also has a Fiero GT Wing spoiler, which doesn't look bad on the car, just a little big.

New engine and tranny mounts, radiator hoses, a full L47 PCM re-wire, and a new dual-exhaust are in the works. I have, um, misplaced that radiator too, and it is virtually impossible to replace, so hopefully I can find it. This car was a kick in its' day, with 240 HP and a wicked V-8 note, I really want to get her up and running again, hopefully better than ever. I am concerned about the internal condition of the engine, as it seems to be stuck, so it will likely be coming back out again before being run. And, a new custom oil-pan has to be built, as the original modified pan was busted -why the car was parked to begin with. I still hear from people that the Northstar engines won't fit a Beretta bay. I don't talk much about the car, just because I am tired of arguing against ignorance.

The Z-26 was also lying about her displacement -but the other direction. She actually has her original 3100 block, but with replacement heads and a 3400 intake and TB, modified to clear the 'M'-code 3100's taller valve-train. EGR will never be functional on this car again, but the PCV was actually hooked back up once the elbow was replaced.

Not much of a 'swap', but neither is a full-on 3400 conversion, IMO. At least not into the later-model cars where it bolts right in. In all honesty, it would have been easier for me to just swap a new engine into this car than to pull the engine apart inside the bay -it need both heads replaced, and one piston had impacted a valve after the head was so badly over-heated that it dropped the valve-guides out. Pulling a 3X00 pan while the engine is still attached to the auto-tranny sucks, especially in sub-freezing January temperatures in the middle of the night!