Merc6's Mini Build
 

Found a few LA1's to play with and will be taking the UIL/LIM and possibly the heads. This thread may not be updated often since I am going to take my time on this to make sure I have all needed parts before performing surgery on my DD.

So far I have the Newer Century air box and zip tube as well as coolant overflow bottle to relocate my stock one. I don't plan on going into the cams but 6 months from now that might get added to the list. No promises. Headed to the J yard now for the UIM and LIM. Will check into the heads if they are decent.

Before engine bay shot bone stock 98 3100 (L82)

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...6/88f19e6c.jpg

Good luck with the swap. If you need any pictures, or have any questions, about the setup on the LG8, let me know, and I'll try to help :cool:

No need to pull covers or rods to remove. You only need to pull the valve covers and the rods for the gasket swap or if I would have gotten the heads too. THe covers are apart of the LIM so you do have to at least take the effort to loosen them. Pulled a few 3400 UIM to see if there was a difrence but last one I had an issue with. Didn't have room for a knife to cut the belt. Alternator was holding the last bolt down on the minivan 3400 intake. It even had a different texture to it I might go back Thursday for it. I did snag the engine cover and oil cap from it. The minivans had a higher rating than the alero and the impala intake(one I chose). Found another auto dim mirror from a 97 limited. P/S wasn't that bad 3 bolts and it was out of my way. Someone already snatched the alternator so that was 1 less step to do. The tranny being in neutral was boss so I could just pull it fwd some. The cars are raised at least 3 feet off the ground making the back bolts a lay across the windshield and sharp edge where the cowl was kinda adventure. Glad the coils were already gone off the car too.

I came to the conclusion if the LIM gasket goes I would go on with the build of just LIM UIM swap but leaning more twards just getting the whole 3400 to slowly piece together. Pulling the heads would be better if the engine was out of the car anyway in that J yard. I also might send these off to get ported or something like this.
http://www.milzymotorsports.com/miva...Code=ep3400IFD

Large HD pics starting....now.
Alero is on top and Impala on bottom
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...6/b06ef53c.jpg

The Alero 3400 UIM pretty much bolts to the LG8 LIM. THis is a 99 that I toom my airbox from a century 2000 is where the overflow and other misc items came from.
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...6/f96e00ab.jpg

UIM LIM rails and cover...
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...6/3009d611.jpg

LA1 UIM on a LG8 LIM
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...6/f96e00ab.jpg

Sounds like you know what you're doing. haha.

I was gonna mention getting the 3400 engine cover from a van if you could find one. Looks like you're already a step ahead. haha.

Actually 2 steps... Not sure if I'm even going to do it.

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...6/13c7a1fb.jpg

You know, I like the new one better. I like how it uses symbols for the parking brake, brake, and fuel levels. The only downfall to switching, is that your odometer will be off, I think. For some reason, I think the odometer is stored in the cluster on these cars. I may be wrong.

The faces should just be a sheet to lay down behind the needles. This one doesn't have "miles" for the odo. Reason it was the only one left in the yard. I am tempted to see if a regal one would work as well but can't find a regal that's in a J yard. Either way I got the cluster to practice on... thinking of doing LEDs but that's going to be a little while later. I have a few PM's on what all I need for the swap but the subaru forums are down again. Was seeing if I need to yank heads or not for this to completely work before 1st snowfall or wait till next summer when more donors show up. I originally just wanted the manifolds but I keep leaning towards the whole top swap. Last PM I got before the forum went down was use a combination of LG8 and LA1 if need be.

I'd be interested in seeing if a Regal cluster with a tach would work. I'm not sure how the tach is controlled in those cars. Thats one thing I miss in my car. When I had my Ranger, I would judge my driving style by the rpm.. When I was trying to drive conservatively, I would try to keep it under a certain rpm.

Same here for the tach on the freeway and happy medium. Now I am like a person who lost one sense relying on the others to pick up the slack granted we aren't driving stick shift w/o a tach. So far 75 mph cruise control is decent and you can't even hear the engine. Gonna hold off on a regal cluster cause I would like to figure out the info center more. Found the info center/fogs button to retrofit if it's not a sold out never to be restocked item. I rather do the cluster vs adding a 3 gauge pillar pod or a monster tach with ultra bright shift light on the dash to look like a complete Cleveland Racing member to the local and highway cops defeating my choice of century over regal.

Going to wait till spring summer for the coolant. Not trying to drill the strut tower then have salt baths for a few months shortly after. The 3400 SFI UIM/LIM does bolt up to 3100 heads if you have roller rockers. I just have to research the heater pipe and if I need to change it to the full 3400 3500 swap piece for an additional $35.

Heater pipe is non threaded just like the 3400 so I saved $35. Apparently Beretta and a few others have a threaded one and it does some funky bends.

I think you can get a Regal cluster without the DIC. I'm not sure if there is any extra wiring to get the DIC to work, or if it would work off the stock Century pcm..

If the opportunity pops up again like this 200 speedo cluster did I might jump on it just as fast. I might go get that Century2K steering wheel as well so I can send it off to do something like this regal one. I really need to stay away from the internet cause it gives me too many ideas.


Also thinking of doing this too.



You said you was trying to paint the headlights something like this?

http://youtu.be/EZt9NLPHYLI

1. That Joseph Abboud Regal is awesome.

2. I've been wanting to do sequential turn signals since I first saw that video :D

3. Same with the switchbacks ^^

4. Thats what I wanted to do. I've never tried. I want to pick up a second set of headlights to try. I don't want to risk ruining my only set. haha.

I'd also like to do a projector retrofit, but i doubt i'll have the car long enough to get to something like that.

Reason I am rethinking the heads. Once the Subaru is on the road for real I might sell it depending on my financial situation and location. Intake swap is plenty enough for me and my preconceived notion the LIM gasket WILL fail justifies it. I feel comfortable enough to do it myself cause I already undid it to another car to get the parts. Still need to get the push rod tool so I don't have to deal with taking the rockers halfway apart. After that gaskets and another T stat since the LIM houses it. The bottom bolt is not fun to tackle when it's on the car with the crossover so I left the housing attached when I yanked it.

While I was under there verifying the heater pipe and a few other things I went ahead and tried the cover on.

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...6/7bb444e1.jpg

Sweet. :D It should look great when you're done.

Another idea was gauges where the ash tray is. Every century still has glovebox and ashtrays. I might even snag the trunk popper if it's there next trip. I looked at all the HUD units for same year Pontiacs and decided not to try that either even tho all the tan dash boards are still there too.

The ashtray gauges might be a little awkward. I like how the whole dash flows on the century. I'd almost rather an A-Pillar pod over the gauges in the ashtray.

Your trunk release button isn't in the glove box? Actually, for some reason, I picture it somewhere near the floor on the drivers' side, on the older Centuries..

HUD would be nice, if it could be done easily. I wonder how hard it would be to swap the whole dash top out of a GTP..

nope no popper on floor or glovebox. 97 98 it was a use your keys to open it. The 97 limited I snagged parts from also didn't have map lights that turn on with doors open.

Wow, thats really weird. It seems like the early w-body Centuries were very oddly optioned.

Yeah at first I was mad cause I found this center dome light in the 97 limited but then I realized it wasn't a factory astroroof. If the 97 is anything like this 98 dealers brochure to be a limited with a astro roof you had a Century Limited Prestige Package. Odd cause autodim mirror I snagged out was a prestige package as with the window antenna power driver passenger leather seats still in the vehicle.

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...6/58cd57ed.jpg

Thats interesting how that one has both the dome light and the rear lights. I wonder how hard it would be to hook up the dome light, and the light control you're missing in the map lights..

Was gonna run the missing wire to the harness of the mirror just need to find where that wire is. The J Yard cars except that limited were missing mirror and the wires. Yeah wires too I guess they do break.

I wonder if they run to the rear lights? I'll pull the A-pillar covers off of my car tomorrow to see if I can find those wires running down there, and if they do, find out where they go.

I plugged the J yard mirror up to my harness and it didn't come on with the other lights. Map lights and the auto dim still worked tho.Take a pic of the wires on your mirror wire harness like I did in the OnStar/Headight post and I can go from there with the book. missing the last 2 on the left(drivers side of the mirror). Worst case I can gut the old mirror when I get a chance to put the new one on to see where those 2 pins go.

Another idea was pull that header in that 97 and see if there was the hardware for a OSHI+ handle for drivers side and just install the 2 rear lights in the front. That or grab the dome light. there was one in all 4 cars out there just have to find the covers if they are still under the cars like that center console and glove box were.

Well I managed to make the right choices according to this article. The UIM has the same egr setup and the least restrictive one. I almost got the minivan stuff...

http://wot-tech.com/shop/articles/ch...ds/cat_64.html

I'll see if I can get a decent picture. I just got home, and it's dark out now, but I'll see what I can do.

I couldn't get a clear picture. My phone's flash and lens is terrrible, and it wouldn't focus on the wires. I'll try again tomorrow in the sun

All I needed was the colors to verify if the book was remotely right. It shows all the colors for the center dome and OSHI handles but neglects the mirror. Most diagrams I seen at least give me the pins for the harnesses. This book is the eqivilent of a paperback Wikipedia.

Attachment 81

Here's the picture. I pulled back my a pillar covers, and the only wires running down there was the one for my remote start antenna. I guess the wires for the mirror go back along the roof.

Grey red and white it is. You have auto dim as well right? Not sure when OnStar left the car phone and went to the mirrors.

Black and grey runs from bcm but looks like the rear OSHI handles might have the wires going to the mirror. White doesn't touch the mirror in the book but it's labeled theater dim 1 and grey is dim 2. Green is theater dim ground.

Yes, I do have the autodim.

The Onstar might have been early 2000's. I don't think I've seen any older cars with it in person.

Page 24 of the 1998 Buick Century shows it was an option on the 1980's looking car phone. Not sure how good it was cause my parents didn't really use OnStar till like 04-05 when they went from Olds to Caddi's. Not a fan of how they deal with stolen vehicles. You have to call the police, they show, start a report, get a police report number, then that number is used to tell OnStar this a legit stolen vehicle, then they find it in whatever condition it's in from the time it was really stolen and them finding it. Call OnStar 1st and you guarantee the wheels and the engine are already gone cause they won't do anything till you call the cops 1st.

Just seen a few more things I might want to do. Folding seats even if it means swapping the entire interior out. I'd i'm lucky heated seats work too. In my Legacy I had cloth with no heat but when swapping over the wires for heated was already there waiting for the seats and button to be plug and play. When did they kill off the heated mirrors?


Found these to replace my semi faded Buick bumper letters. Debating on light silver or black. Reflective of course. Just need to find someone on the other forums to vouch they ship eventually. I had something like this back when I had my 03 Marauder and they took 6 months to ship.

http://www.reflectiveconcepts.com/p6...duct_info.html

Reflective Black on my Marauder
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...r/DSCI3688.jpg

That reflective tape looks pretty cool. I was thinking about just blacking mine out to go with the molding chrome trim.

I'm not sure about the heated mirrors. My car has it, along with the autodim. Its only the driver's side though. Too bad compnine went out of business. Thats how I found out my car had it. You could just do an RPO code lookup to find what the code was for it, if you're not sure.

Snow on the ground guess I will find out in the morning. Yeah forgot you blacked yours out...You black the chrome on the tails too?

Nope. The tails are next. I'll probably just wrap them with vinyl tape. Its too cold out to paint them now. My right tail is rusted on to the body, and turning the nut for the cargo net barely moves. I have it shredded, just trying to get it to turn. I might hit it with a lot of WD-40 tomorrow and try to get it off.

Worse case we have 4 cars with em still on if you need to break it off to replace the bulb eventually if you can't find it local. I'll even get it from the same color Canadian c2k the cluster came from if you need it. I went out of town and guess what? The snow melted before I got up to leave, that's Cleveland for you. Was there a rear defrost etching on the mirrors? My subaru and Marauder had them on the drivers mirror.

I can probably get one around here if I do break it. The weather so far isn't really cooperating with me. Snow, and its just plain cold out. haha.

There's no lines or anything in the mirror. I didn't even realize I had it until I looked it up one day. That mirror does have a thicker black plastic edge around the glass. I'm not sure if that's for the heater or the autodim.

Auto dim.....Nope don't have that. Have to lean towards the radio when some idiot is driving with hi beams or 1 miss angled headlight. I will try and find out if that is plug and play. Going to pull the headlights and attempt to re seal them. I might try that hi beam trick as well. It's a big difference holding the stalk vs just straight hi beam.

The autodim is connected directly to the rearview mirror, so if that one isn't working, the outside one won't either.

The quad-high mod is great. Much easier than holding the switch half way. haha. I think my relay may be fried, or I have a bad wire somewhere. The other night when I turned my high beams on, the lows went out. I'll have to look at my wires soon. It might just be a bad ground, or loose connection. Hopefully. haha.

http://www.w-body.com/showthread.php...l=1#post936034

This is the write-up I used. Its very straight forward. Just make sure you have a good ground. Its hard to see in his pictures, but he drilled a hole just behind the headlight, and used a self tapping screw. I used the first bolt on my fender. If you do it on the driver's side, there is already a ground screw on the rad support.

Rear view dim work on both the mirror in the car and the one I pulled from J yard. Have to look at side view when I get back I don't remember it dimming.

It might not. I didn't realize mine did until I played with the wires to get my map lights to work.

Brung the book with me to see if i can find it. The mirror didn't have auto dim just theater dim wire. going to dig it out of my bag in a second.