Kainnon

Read through a Haynes book and it told me that at a cold start (hadn't been ran in two days and was 40 degrees out) the valve on the bottom should be open. It sits closed at all times. I'm told that this has something to do with why I have to rev the crap out of her to heat 'er up. That, and I blew the heater core the same day.
I've also found that the wiring on the whole engine/car is FUBARed.
My gauges aren't working either. Had the battery gauge working and the it quit when the idle issues kicked in. The fuel gauge died before that. And once I got rid of the start issue, I had the oil pressure working. Once the heater core went, so did the oil pressure gauge.
Now I'm sure most of this is all coincidence but I'm just now getting into old/larger engines. So, let's start from the top with my first question about the "thermvac."

All help/advise much appreciated.

Scorpner

iTrader: (4)

A lot of that is unrelated imo. The part circled is supposed to redirect the intake air from the cold intake snorkel to a metal plenum over the exhaust manifold. The reason for that is to allow the engine to warm up faster. I wouldn't rev it much until the engine warms up as the oil is too thick when it's cold to do its job. If you have a heavier weight oil it can make the engine harder to start and warm up.

Sounds like the heater core was about to go anyways. Could have been blocked too so make sure you flush the system when you replace it.

The idling problem can be caused by vacuum leaks, choke, fpr, faulty EGR among many other things. Could be from a failing alternator as well which could possibly explain the issues with the gauges, (otherwise the multiple issues with the gauges could also be from a bad ground). You can make a deal to plug into the cig lighter to hook to a multimeter. Then when you notice the idle issue and volt gauge fail you can see the actual voltage on your multi-meter. My voltage was dropping when idling every once in a while and that's how I found out what was going on. When I checked the voltage any other time it appeared to be normal.
Make sure that you do actually have oil pressure instead of assuming it's the gauge.

It may be expensive but it's worth getting one of these vs. a Haynes manual. The Haynes will just make the whole experience a big turn off. Search: Click here button(upper one)>Chevy>Service & Owner Info>Camaro>1989 and enter:
http://www.helminc.com/helm/homepage.asp?Style=helm
* Post some clear pics of the wiring if you can in case someone familiar with yours can help with that.

gt4373

Do A Diagnostic Check.

Kainnon

Wouldn't surprise me if there was a vacuum leak. Already found hoses that were taped either shut or together with electrical tape.
It goes without saying I bought someone else mess....
And I had the alternator tested along with my battery (outside of the car). Both ce back 100% working condition. Had the alternator tested thereabouts 15 times in a row to see if she had a fault or a break if it heated up.

And she will crack for 10-20 seconds before turning over. She will some like a chimney though. Think blue grey cloud. It almost looks blue and smells nothing like burning gas or oil that I recognize. I'm hoping it's not antifreeze, but I don't see and oil in my antifreeze and vice versa.

She's sitting in a lot at a dealership. They refuse to work on her cause to add to all the other issues, the dash above the pedals is gone and every wire an fuse is just hanging there. I'll try to have some pictures up tomorrow.

Scorpner

iTrader: (4)

I'm not sure if that year still used the plastic tubing for vacuum lines but they do tend to become brittle so be careful if it has those. Also double check the vacuum hose you buy from the parts stores. I had to redo my whole set up because they seemed to fit fine, but weren't sealing as they should have and caused problems.

My alternator tested good most of the time just like you're saying, but it still failed on an intermittent basis which is why I gave the detailed explanation. It's just info in case you want to try it or not.

Oh, I see. I was thinking maybe wiring in the engine bay. Could use some zip ties in the meantime to get the wiring under the dash and out of the way. There are panels that go under there too and your best bet is checking out a junk yard where you can grab the parts you need. Then you can check out the wiring too and possibly take pictures to look at when you get home. You could also pull the wiring but that's pretty involved, not sure to what extent yours is messed up.

That image posted above looks to be from the manual I suggested. It should have electrical and vacuum diagrams as well.