The Force Awakens...

It is amazing how fast it went. I barely had the time to identify the problem and find the leak... I must have poured 5 quarts back in there.

Tomorrow we stretch the Corvette's legs. A Rally Drive through Wallonia, about 200 miles. I'll take pics. The weather is to be purely awful... on the other hand, there will be a fellow C3 Corvette there.
 
You can keep your same setup by just replacing the nylon line with copper.
https://www.autozone.com/gauges-and...ne-tubing/auto-meter-copper-tubing/131457_0_0
And you are certainly not the first, or will be the last to break one of those oil gauge lines.
The copper line works fine, the only thing you could do to it is kink it, or not use a grommet where it passes through the firewall or floor and wear a hole through it from vibration. In high school, I had a friend that had a mechanical oil pressure gauge installed in his Honda CVCC. He just bought new Herman Survivors boots and on the way to school he must have kicked the plastic line. When he arrived at school, his boots and the footwell of the Honda were covered in oil. Now he knew why his right leg and foot were warm on the way there.
 
Hey All... the corvette ran extremely well the 250 miles. I seemed to hear a few pops out of the tailpipes. I think I am still a bit rich on cruise on the highway. I'll check the plugs this evening.

There was a massive amount of rain with some of it getting into the car. I do not plan to drive this in the rain if ever I can avoid it... nonetheless, that needs to be sorted.

Handling was quite reasonable despite my knowledge that the front bushings are completely shot. I think rebuilding my front suspension is becoming more of a priority as well.

I am increasingly leaning toward taking the engine out this fall to clean up the engine bay, tidy up the wiring and address leaks. This weekend I will be driving it to Amsterdam and back. Once that is done, I'll give it a rest for the season and pull the engine.

My plan will then be:
- rebuild the front suspension + possibly a Borgeson conversion
- clean up and detail the engine bay
- tidy up the wiring
- replace all the engine compartment seals
- restore the reverse lock out
- possibly change the clutch and the rear main seal (I am seeing a small drip at the back of the block), and
- make sure the wiper door, lights are mechanically sound

- I also need to get a look at the hand brakes... something doesn't seem right there.
 
the intended mods sound reasonable,
Id check the parking /hand brake shoes,
I know I've found several , over the years,
that were absolutely and totally worn out on c3 corvette's ,
the owners had never even looked at in decades,
one guy said he never knew there was a separate drum parking brake!
I had one guy complaining about the nasty burn smell, and the vette seemed to need a tune up,
he had been driving with the hand brake partially on, .. for weeks

http://www.corvettemagazine.com/tech-articles/1967-1982-corvette-parking-brake-rebuild/

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog...70,brake+&+wheel+hub,parking+brake+shoe,10177

http://www.zip-corvette.com/catalogsearch/result/?order=relevance&dir=desc&cat=All+Categories&q=67-82+Park+Brake+Rebuild+Kit+w/Stainless+Cables



 
DorianL said:
am increasingly leaning toward taking the engine out this fall to clean up the engine bay, tidy up the wiring and address leaks.
Click to expand...
Seems like you would wait until you plan and rebuilding the engine and then clean the engine bay at the
same time. That way you only have to go thru pulling the engine once. There's certainly little additional
cost to pulling the engine twice. Just sounds like extra work.
 
Indycars said:
Seems like you would wait until you plan and rebuilding the engine and then clean the engine bay at the
same time. That way you only have to go thru pulling the engine once. There's certainly little additional
cost to pulling the engine twice. Just sounds like extra work.
Click to expand...

cowbell-fever.jpg

#cantresist

Yes... that same concern for efficiency occurred to me too. I think I simply can't resist pulling the engine (despite not replacing it or rebuilding it for a while yet...) because there are so many things that need attention.

The shifter still needs some attention; rebuilding is cheap and access much better with the engine out.

That vibration has me puzzled; I want a closer look at the clutch and will probably replace the harmonic balancer with a larger one. By the same token, I want a closer look at the engine mounts.

I saw a broken spring hanging from the headlight assembly; that needs attention as well.

The bolts to the bottom of the steering column are missing !!!!

Water is leaking in between the birdcage and the firewall... that needs to be sealed.

I want to clean and POR-15 the frame. It should be easier to rebuild the suspension and swap in a Borgeson with the engine out.

The wiring is terribly untidy - I want that sharp; it is easier to do that sitting in the engine bay.

There are random holes in the firewall that need to be sealed off - we were freezing our butts off at anything over 50.

I want the fiber optics working.

Hmmmmm - I think my plan is to carefully go through the engine bay and when I am through, the only thing left will be to enhance the engine. #exciting.
 
Grumpy said:
the intended mods sound reasonable,
Id check the parking /hand brake shoes,
I know I've found several , over the years,
that were absolutely and totally worn out on c3 corvette's ,
the owners had never even looked at in decades (...)
Click to expand...

Thanks Grumpy - I think I will retire the corvette this weekend (after my trip to Amsterdam) and I will start with the rear brakes. BTW, thanks for posting the videos. VERY helpful !
 
I am a Big Fan of Milodon & Moroso Oil Pans along with Moroso Valve covers Dorian.
They Both Seal 100 % Positive.
When your working with Factory SBC Iron Heads I have found it best to use 1/4" thick Fel Pro Valve Cover Gaskets.
The cylinder head valve cover rails are cast rough.
Fully machined flat on aftermarket SBC.
Also factory machined on all Pontiac V8 nice.

A 427 -454 Big Chevy would be a nice jump in power.
Can be done on a budget with Iron 781 heads.
Still deliver respectable fuel economy with Belgium gasoline prices.
Cam choice critical & rear diff gearing critical.
 
Exploring the underside of the corvette, post-race. And stumbled across a few things. To me, the control arm bushings look perished. Clearly.

What do you guys think of these motor mounts ? Sournce of vibration ?

267DDC0A-5E02-434E-A717-AA9A6E0371D2.jpeg DBABFE8D-50FA-4B51-AD1A-79F889E9C1C6.jpeg
 
Trans tunnel insulation seems to be touching exhaust and driveshaft joint as well.

7D6C4AA1-4DCA-4D30-8744-0A1376C50DEC.jpeg 67BC5290-8522-4CA6-8A02-EAEB279C1FA1.jpeg
 
DorianL said:
View attachment 10867

#cantresist

Yes... that same concern for efficiency occurred to me too. I think I simply can't resist pulling the engine (despite not replacing it or rebuilding it for a while yet...) because there are so many things that need attention.

The shifter still needs some attention; rebuilding is cheap and access much better with the engine out.

That vibration has me puzzled; I want a closer look at the clutch and will probably replace the harmonic balancer with a larger one. By the same token, I want a closer look at the engine mounts.

I saw a broken spring hanging from the headlight assembly; that needs attention as well.

The bolts to the bottom of the steering column are missing !!!!

Water is leaking in between the birdcage and the firewall... that needs to be sealed.

I want to clean and POR-15 the frame. It should be easier to rebuild the suspension and swap in a Borgeson with the engine out.

The wiring is terribly untidy - I want that sharp; it is easier to do that sitting in the engine bay.

There are random holes in the firewall that need to be sealed off - we were freezing our butts off at anything over 50.

I want the fiber optics working.

Hmmmmm - I think my plan is to carefully go through the engine bay and when I am through, the only thing left will be to enhance the engine. #exciting.
Click to expand...

By the time you get thru with that list, you maybe ready for the new engine! :D
 
owning and restoring a corvette is a bit like a marriage,
theres always something thats in need of your attention that you never imagined,
going into the process of getting everything functioning smoothly
,and its always going to take more time, effort, and cash that it looks like,
it should have, from the start., and anyone looking at the process,
of either, has no concept of the time and effort youve, been required,
too put into getting either to function smoothly
 
Grumpy said:
owning and restoring a corvette is a bit like a marriage,
theres always something thats in need of your attention that you never imagined,
going into the process of getting everything functioning smoothly
,and its always going to take more time, effort, and cash that it looks like,
it should have, from the start., and anyone looking at the process,
of either, has no concept of the time and effort youve, been required,
too put into getting either to function smoothly
Click to expand...
So true.
 
Grumpy said:
owning and restoring a corvette is a bit like a marriage,
theres always something thats in need of your attention that you never imagined,
going into the process of getting everything functioning smoothly
,and its always going to take more time, effort, and cash that it looks like,
it should have, from the start., and anyone looking at the process,
of either, has no concept of the time and effort youve, been required,
too put into getting either to function smoothly
Click to expand...
I like the Unitized construction of a C4 Corvette Grumpy.
Aerospace grade aluminum used everywhere in the suspension and chassis.
 
I also thing it is a personal thing... what the previous owner of the corvette might have been comfortable with it, I am not. The car runs and handles all right... but clearly so many things are approximate.

Same goes for marriages... some people accept raucous relationships. I don't.

Different standards I guess.

I look forward to yanking the engine now. I guess I was looking forward to the corvette being a reasonably comfortable, reliable drive before taking it down.

Does anyone know if there is a way to examine the birdcage for rust? Specifically around the windshield ? Without doing something stupidly damaging? The amount of water that got inside of the car during the stormy weather was concerning.
 
DorianL said:
I also thing it is a personal thing... what the previous owner of the corvette might have been comfortable with it, I am not. The car runs and handles all right... but clearly so many things are approximate.

Same goes for marriages... some people accept raucous relationships. I don't.

Different standards I guess.

I look forward to yanking the engine now. I guess I was looking forward to the corvette being a reasonably comfortable, reliable drive before taking it down.

Does anyone know if there is a way to examine the birdcage for rust? Specifically around the windshield ? Without doing something stupidly damaging? The amount of water that got inside of the car during the stormy weather was concerning.
Click to expand...
I think you have to remove the interior Dorien.
At least the Forward feet Kick Panels.
Richard should know 1st hand from his C3.
 
Thanks!!!! Dunno why (perhaps I have heard so many rusted out birdcage horror stories?) but I really want to make sure I am in good shape there.
 
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