well, Im thinkin of replacing all my vacuum lines, radiator hoses and the like, (big job I know ) durring my christmas break, and asking for the stuff to do it for chirstams, anything else you see that would help make the engine pop out a little more (aside from a 502)



edit* Oh and if anyone knows where to find a stock 74 L-48 vacuum hose diagram, Im sure Ive got a few that are misplaced, that would be great!

Miles

 

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Buy another set of plug wires with 90 degree plug boots and run the wires underneath the manifolds/headers up the back along the bell-housing to the distributor cap. That yellow octopus has to go. It looks like it attacked your engine with the 8 tentacles grabbing the engine. Underneath the wires are out of sight and out of mind.. Works for all engines with the distributor in the back....

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would they got too hot due to the headers? thats the only reason I have them loomed above

Miles

 

I agree, and I'm also a big fan of some ignition shielding, adds some tasteful chrome.

 

Not to judge, but if you add new hose's & clamps they will look better, that orange overspray looks ugly. Also re-route the hose that crosses over by the PCV valve, try running it across with the others near the firewall and along the intake.

Remove that Edelbrock decal off the fan cover is also a suggestion. Remove Alt. & AC brackets, fan blade (orange overspray) and repaint them black. it's the small things that will improve the look, simple things even like a new shinny Dist. Cap.

These are only a few simple suggestion, please don't think I'm picking out flaws or your work.

 

Im not! thats why I started this thread, thank you!

Miles

 

pull the motor and degrease engine bay repaint the correct colors. use the AIM and NCRS manual to help to figure where everything goes. post lots of pictures

 

While pulling the motor is the best way, the fact is you can do a great job just spending a lot of time, elbow grease, and attention to detail.

Agreeing with some of what others said, the first thing I'd do is get rid of the yellow wires. They never look good. Get a stock ignition shielding and clean that area up. And, lose the Edelbrock sticker.

It looks like there's lots of areas where some blackout paint would help a lot, as well as overspray cleanup and there's quite a bit of bare metal parts that would improve dramatically with some polish and buffing by hand. Paint the master cylinder bottom.

You do not need a bunch of junky 80's style hose covers or wire looms to make the engine look nice. Neat, clean, painted, polished always looks great. Less is more.

 

Id love to, But I dont have the time in my christmas break, the engine will have to stay in.....for NOW!

will my plug wires be able to with stand the heat from the headers?

Miles

 

they do make plugs for headers and they do have a heat wrap you can use

 

Personally..
I'd route the wires over the valve covers. The shorter the wire, the hotter the spark. Thats not the reason why i would do it. I've found it to be more of a pain in the *** to run the wires underneather the headers.. The yellow has got to go though.

If you got the $$$, an aluminum intake would do alot to beautiy things.

 

Get a couple of rolls of tin foil and ...........SPRAY BOMB........... that motor compartment when you have all of your old stuff removed
NOTHING makes a motor stand out like new paint all around it





Hammadown

 

Hamma's right... it's just not that hard...

 

Depending on the amount of time and money you want to spend you could clean all the hoses with laquear thinner that will bring back the shine, then scotch brite pad all the fiberglass fender wells and repaint them black, along with redoing the motor orange. I will post some before and after pictures of a 1974 Red corvette that iam currently working on finishing up.

 

Hi RMJ,
You asked, so here goes...
I think that now your engine bay looks like you went to the auto parts store once and bought what ever they happened to have to dress up your engine, put it on, and called it done.
I agree that a good engine compartment starts with every thing else but the engine. It all needs to be spotlessly clean, painted and neatly laid out. Then you decide what 'look' you want for the engine... stock, race, custom, billet, and start to dress the engine. This way a person's eye is drawn to the engine and not all the kinda dirty, kinda rusty, kinda unpainted things in the compartment.
I think the really good looking engine compartments we see here have a lot more time and effort in them than we think. It takes a lot more than just money.
STOCK IS THE EASIEST AND CHEAPEST... but is right for very few people.
Here's a couple pictures of my 71. I realize the body was off but you can do ALMOST as good job with the body on and the engine in.
Regards,
Alan

PS: I added 2 pictures of the engine and compartment taken while I was detailing it with the engine in the car. It was when I finished this work and realized that it still wasn't what I wanted that I decided that the body would come off and I'd start a full restoration.

 

You can buy a stainless steel braided hose kit for all your hoses from Mid America. Not all that expensive.

 

If you wan to go with chrome, After you clean and paint your bay,you should hide your wires using your ignition shielding It might take some extra labor but its worth it!,cool flex hoses,and maybe if you can get a permastar finish intake.Then after that,pretty much everything else just falls into place.

 

Alan, I see where you are going, but I'm going to take the position that stock is not the easiest and cheapest, nor is it right for just a few people.

While I agree you can spend more money on hose covers and chrome stuff, getting correct components can be pricey, too. And, while it's possible you might spend less money on a stock engine compartment, I will strongly disagree that stock is easier.

I had several custom show Corvettes in the 70's and 80's. I loved detailing and chroming the engine compartments; it was fun. The biggest attraction to modified, however, was that I found it was incredibly easy. Like chrome? Do it. Like stuff painted? Do that. However, when I started getting into the stock/ NCRS look, there is essentially one way to do things, and that's correct. I don't find this easy. It takes research, patience, sometimes expense.

I also disagree that it's right for "very few people." Compare a similar type car for sale with a slick, correct engine compartment vs. a car with a bunch of 80's-looking hose covers, speed shop air cleaners and chrome pieces everywhere. Which one sells more easily? For more?

A lot of this is personal taste, and different types of people are drawn to the speed shop look as opposed to the NCRS look. I wouldn't be concerned about it being for few people, though.

 

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I personally prefer the stock appearances as opposed to the custom stuff. I do that to get back to a presentable stock look may cost a significant amount of money for some Vettes that have been stripped by previous owners, it probably will not cost any more than the custom stuff when all tallied up however. It depends on your subjective choice. And that some Vettes are better presented with stock components...

Before,

After,
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Before and after they are the same...

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Thats the way its supposed to be!!!!!!!!!