Dude, I remember your car now... You posted pics after the wrap and a bunch of ****************************s gave you **************** about the matte black, right?
I think it's a sweet car myself. Not factory, but very sharp and very unique. That's what custom stuff is all about!
I would take the insurance money, patch her up (you're clearly skilled), and see how much longer she will go. Yes, things will continue to break. Id be curious about a compression test - 140k miles is a lot for any gasser.
Blue is right about the ecu grounding comments - the ecu itself is grounded but it monitors the voltage on the ground to serve as a reference for the grounds that feed into it. That way, sensitive electronics (maf sensors included) that have small variations in their signal voltages due to electrical fluctuations can be "sorted out" by the ecu. It's kind of like running a ****************ty pic through a filter.
However, for the maf sensor, it really doesn't matter too much. In open loop fueling the dme ignores the maf altogether, and in closed loop fueling the narrowband o2 sensors trump the maf input. Sure, the maf readings do matter, but only so that the ecu can ballpark the conditions onto the fueling maps. If it's completely out of whack then it will cause issues, and that is why you saw trouble when you were grounded to the block - there is way too much electrical interference there. But grounding to the chassis is more than likely good enough for just driving and enjoying the car.
Never forget... The enemy of good is better
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