[Marky Dissod]

1. Your train of thought regarding the catalytic converters is outdated. Pointless to gut them unless they're truly clogged.
GM-OE catalytic converters that came with LT1 cars, including sedans & wagons, EASILY support 385 horse.
Get a proper pcm tune instead, far better bang for the buck, gutted or not.

2. If you mean the MAF sensor housing screen, put it back, or replace the MAF (or, get tuned in Speed Density …)
Check for vacuum leaks (very old rubber probably needs replacing).
Probably would not hurt to check to see if the IAC motor, PCV Valve, or EGR Valve are old enough to replace.

Ignition Coil, Ignition Coil Driver, and Opti- electrical harness (over the top of the engine) are not that expensive.
Neither is the Opti Vent & Vacuum Harness, which gets overlooked way too often.
Many Opti-Sparks have been changed without fixing the problem until the Vent & Vacuum Harness (aka Opti-snorkel) was changed.

An experienced mechanic should be able to diagnose whether it's any of the above, or the plugs or wires, which take more labor to remove & replace than the rest of the stuff above.
Hopefully you won't need to replace the Opti-Spark itself.

3. After you clean the drain, use a longer rubber tube.

 

[Fred Kiehl]

Also, what would be your process of diagnosis for determining if the sputtering is coming from the plugs or wires or coil or ignition module? I do not want to start throwing parts at it while crossing my fingers. I purchased an OBD1 code reader and the manual says that it is only good for the 4.3 liter in the 1995 model so i guess im out of luck with that.

The sensors do not measure volume, they measure the fuel mixture. The first thing you can do is check under the hood at night for a fireworks display from the wires. I would start with the cheapest parts first, or get known good used parts to swap out. You may be able to change the distributor cap with a new one, without enduring the cost of a new or rebuilt optispark. The 95 needs a specific tester, or computer program for your laptop with a patch chord. There are threads in the engine sections that can guide you to what you need for diagnosis. The OBD1 reader will only work on 91-93 cars. There isn't a reader made for the 94 or 95 models. I would suggest visiting the engine sections if you are not getting a light show at night.

 

[ojb226]

The sensors do not measure volume, they measure the fuel mixture. The first thing you can do is check under the hood at night for a fireworks display from the wires. I would start with the cheapest parts first, or get known good used parts to swap out. You may be able to change the distributor cap with a new one, without enduring the cost of a new or rebuilt optispark. The 95 needs a specific tester, or computer program for your laptop with a patch chord. There are threads in the engine sections that can guide you to what you need for diagnosis. The OBD1 reader will only work on 91-93 cars. There isn't a reader made for the 94 or 95 models. I would suggest visiting the engine sections if you are not getting a light show at night.

Thanks Fred. I will keep you posted with my findings. I really appreciate the feedback

 

[IndyL03]

Modified shift kit from Dana @Probuilt Automatics just came in today-ready for rebuild next week. Going to trim fan shroud to fit 4row radiator tonight. Ordered Sonnax 4th apply servo as well- hopefully arrives tomorrow.

 

[IndyL03]

picked up car after having trans rebuilt. feels good. still have to check with shop. speedo seems 5mph slower

 

[gbhs72]

I got my 383 in yesterday. It's Skip White -10cc. I had previously taken some parts off of the 350 I built. I'm going to use the aluminum heads I had on it and the Comp cam. Almost everything else is new. I changed the valve springs to Comps and got roller rocker arms. Also Comp. I did the gasket matching of the exhaust ports and headers. I got a Comp timing chain set with the Torrington bearing. After some discussion with Gerry I returned the Summit injector and decided to get an Edelbrock Pro Flo 4 set up. I also got a new oil pan from Summit with baffle, windage tray and scraper. I'll use a Shark Tooth SV/SP pump. Fire for it will be through an E coil with an Intellitronix Prometheus box. Edelbrock recommends using the old can style coil if you're not running a box. I had bought a 16 inch Spal fan but with the Pro Flo I can run 2 fans so I got two 12 inch Spals.
The SW engine looks good. I do plan to change the color though. It came shipped to me on an engine cradle so now I have 2 of those. I was surprised that they sent an SFI flex plate although I hadn't ordered that. Thanks to SW.
I have most of the frame ready to tow to the frame shop to true it up. I still have more holes to weld up on the floor boards, from all the police equipment, and make a small patch for rust repair.
My wife was concerned about parking it when it's done. She doesn't want it messed with. I thought of putting in an addition to my garage but the city nixed that. It would run over a water main. Building in the back yard would be difficult due to the shape and trees. I'll figure something out on that.
Best to all,
Mark: Snowman-33

 

[gbhs72]

And the Beat goes on.
After a long time I finally got my new engine together. There was lots of planning, changes and re-planning.
In my last post I described some of the parts. I did find some other things that interested me.

It's been a long road and lots of people have contributed (Parts & knowledge). Thanks to Bob, 96Black & Gerry 95Wagon for the parts and info. Now I can park this off to the side and get back to building my transmission.
Yesterday my wife and I left the casino and stopped at our favorite Mexican restaurant and this was parked there. I haven't seen one of these since the early 70s.

Best to all,
Mark: Snowman-33

 

[9c1_9c6_fan]

What did I do to my Caprice today? I got a donor car to put my 9c1 back on the road.

 

[buickman1]

What did I do to my Caprice today? I got a donor car to put my 9c1 back on the road.

Be honest, that's just an excuse for the wife, to add another car to the stable, lol.

 

[9c1_9c6_fan]

That was my excuse for my last 2 acquisitions haha. This time it's supposedly a parts car but I looked it over more today and there's not a damn spot of rust on it anywhere and the clearcoat isn't peeling at all, plus the dash pad isn't cracked. Was a lifetime Texas car '95 Roadmaster sedan, got it for the trans and engine wiring harness. The engine isn't great. Going to be hard to get myself to rip apart a car that's cleaner than my 9c1 but I need to put my 9c1 on the road.

 

[buickman1]

What about a 9c1 Roadmaster?

 

[Columbus]

Installed on my caprice 92 c5 (citroen c3/c4/c5 restyle ) side mirrors mod!

 

[IndyL03]

shampooed carpet and upholstery

 

[BroBroFresh]

Just took em to the wash cause he been sitting for a while.