Engine looks awesome! What did you use to paint it with?

 

Thanks! I used Dupli Color DE1620. Like with everything, prep work was key. It sure helped that the radiator support and front crossmember were out and I could sit inside the engine bay.

 

Thanks for the info. Did you clean the block down to bare metal and prime or did you just scuff the old paint, clean, and then spray with new paint? Just trying to get an idea as to how you prepped yours as I am about to do the same to mine...

 

Since I had no plans on taking the engine out, or removing the carb or the valve covers or the belts..... I did the best I could with scuffing the old paint, cleaned it 2 or 3 times, masked everything off and shot the paint. If you get really close to it you can see the paint kind of beading together in some spots - not sure if its because some old grease was still there or maybe because I havent run the motor for very long yet and the paint needs to cure with the heat.

We will see soon enough, it looks good enough for me though and if I need to I can always touch up some spots.

 

Lookin good Brother, you're doing a hell of a job

 

nice! those connecting pipes from the header to the exhaust are sweet.i have flex tubes and they resonate.not the sound you want to hear.

 

Thanks man, I can almost see the finish line!

 

Yea I must say I was pleasantly surprised that they actually made the connection so much more convenient. Did not have to use the S-pipes that came with the system. They are about an inch or 2 too short but thats an easy fix.

Have you tried exhaust sealant on the flex tubes? Do they resonate at the connections or somewhere in the middle? The sealant might give it some cushion at the connections eliminating the metal to metal vibrations.

 

I have exhaust sealant in the joints and it made no difference so I assume the vibration comes from the middle somewhere.they have to go for sure.

 

Almost there.....

With the calipers mounted, new pads on, and new break lines in the rear, I bled the breaks with the Motive power bleeder. Im not sure why I waited so long to get this thing, makes it so much easier. I noticed I had to pump it up to at least 15 psi to get things flowing well. Starter with the rear right outside caliper half, then the inside; left rear outside caliper half, then the inside, right front and left front.

Pressure stayed steady, no leaks, ran the motor pumped the breaks for a while, everything looks good. Break pedal feels harder than on my daily driver so I think its all good.

Had a little set back with the right shock mount, got a new one from Ecklers .... arrived "made in china", returned and got another from Paragon USA made. This time I mounted it with the trailing arm ON the car. Alternated between tapping with the hammer and tightening the castle nut. Went in MUCH easier than before.

Installed the new spring and torqued all the bolts in the rear.

Now just have get the exhaust up, polish/seal the paint, clean the interior and get it aligned.







The spring ends are positioned behind the trailing arm mounting points and therefore the bolt is not exactly vertical. Ive read about this somewhere before and that eventually it will settle correctly....




I used 1 6" C clamp and a piece of wood. Initially I tried to use 2 clamps, the other being a 5" but just couldn't get enough clearance. This one was able to hold it sealed, no loss of pressure.

 

Getting close, I'll bet you're getting excited

 

Yes. Anxious to see how it rides with all the rebuilt and new parts.

 

If you're in the neighborhood, stop by so I can see all of your hard work in person.

 

Are those Bilstein Sports or HD's?

 

You got it, I'll let you know

 

I went with HDs all around

 

It's looking great. I am thinking my next project will be a C3, possibly next spring/summer. I have learned a lot from what you are doing. Great job.

 

: looks good

 

Thank you. Should be on the road by end of this week. About a month later than planned but did have to deal with some set backs.

 

Exhaust all bolted up, took a few good hours to get it just right but its done.

I used one of the muffler hangers that came with the Pypes system, conveniently there was an opening in the frame for the second bolt.








In addition to the internal exhaust coating (which by the way I ran a test on: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-t...ting-test.html ) I also used this Thermo-Tec heat shield under the spring.










Took some tweaking to get the mufflers and tips aligned just right with tip cut outs and the spare time carrier. I used the 2.5" Gibson SS tips making the entire system 2.5" front to back. Going from the header collectors to the X-pipe I used Hedman extension pieces and welded in extra 4" on the right side, on the left welded a turn going into a Pypes S-section.