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Well, I've been on a bit of a sabbatical. Lots of life changes going on.
Back in October, I finally reached the proverbial "last straw" with my boss...a person who thinks because she has a title, she deserves respect and loyalty. Guess what? You're not a leader if no one wants to follow you.
So, I submitted my resignation before I had another job lined up. Not the preferred way to do things, but I had had enough. I took a couple weeks to decompress and spend time with family, then began the job search. I would have loved to have been working on the 69 during that time, but I couldn't spend any $ on it when I had no income.
Fortunately, I landed another job in December, so now I can get back to playing with my corvette!
Got a couple things going on. Replaced the disintegrating headlight switch, hoping that would be the cure for my non-existent instrument lighting, but to no avail. I'll have to continue troubleshooting that one.
Removed the non-operational wiper motor and bench tested it. It works, so I have to figure that out also.
In the mean time, I'm working on getting the fuel lines and filter back to original. Someone removed the original filter at some point.
Before...
And after...
One problem. When I got it put back together and started up the engine, the fuel line fitting exiting the pump was leaking. I had to pull it back apart and reinstall it. Haven't had a chance to test it yet. Anybody else have problems with the flared fittings on these hard lines not sealing right?
Oh yes, when I connected the fuel lines I could not get the pump fuel line to stop leaking. Removed and reset it by loosening that line now I had a leak at the filter. Long story short , a great tip from a forum member that I don't remember who said " a very small thin rub of grease on the flared fitting will allow for it to find it's seal. Worked like a charm. I removed all fittings did that and and have no problems since. Try it you'll like it!
Oh yes, when I connected the fuel lines I could not get the pump fuel line to stop leaking. Removed and reset it by loosening that line now I had a leak at the filter. Long story short , a great tip from a forum member that I don't remember who said " a very small thin rub of grease on the flared fitting will allow for it to find it's seal. Worked like a charm. I removed all fittings did that and and have no problems since. Try it you'll like it!
RVZIO
Excellent! Thanks for the tip, Roger! I'll try it when I get back home later this week.
Glad you’re back! I have an almost identical car but with black interior. I also just changed jobs because of an unbearable boss. Keep up the good work!!
Seems to have worked...so far. I'll monitor the lines for leakage for a couple trips before I proclaim them sealed tight.
Thanks again, Roger!
Glad it looks like it may have worked. I chased leaks for a week. I did notice by running my car that also helped seat things. As a result for me they have all stopped. Hopefully the same for you.
RVZIO
Well, I haven't had a lot of time to devote to the vette for the last couple months. Been busy learning a new job, but I'm getting to the point where I can pick up where I left off.
I ordered a set of seat headrests a couple months ago. Finally got the driver's side installed. Pics out of order.
I also managed to make a vacuum hose tee that I needed. Some previous owner disconnected the vacuum line for the climate control. I assume the plastic tee broke and they just took it out and repaired only the main hose.
I found a replacement at Doc Rebuild, but never pulled the trigger on an order. I decided to try and make one. I bought some copper tubing at Ace Hardware and got to work. I sautered a couple pieces together, ran a 1/16 drill bit through the smaller tube to make sure it was open, and voila! A tee that will never get brittle and fail.
Seat belts have been sent off to Ssnakeoyl for restoration. Those should be done in a couple weeks.
No pics, but I fixed my floppy rear view mirror. My mounting bracket was missing a piece, which allowed the mirror to move every time I hit a bump. Very annoying. Found a replacement bracket on ebay.
I'm also in the process of replacing my radiator. The engine has been running a bit warm and the old radiator had one or two pinholes that leaked a little, so I decided to go with a new aluminum unit. I went to drain the radiator by opening the drain plug, but I REMOVED the drain plug. Twisted it right off. No going back now!
I'm a big proponent of "might as well", so I pulled the support out to clean it up and paint it.
In the first pic on first post I thought, "those seats ain't gonna last." You had a rocker but back off. I assume all 16 got replaced? Build date: The beastie's 50th birthday should be soon...
In the first pic on first post I thought, "those seats ain't gonna last." You had a rocker but back off. I assume all 16 got replaced? Build date: The beastie's 50th birthday should be soon...
I'm not following on the seats comment?
I did have a rocker nut back off, but I didn't replace them all. Probably a good idea and it's been on my mind. I've been listening for valve train chatter and all seems good, but...
wow that radiator frame is in nice shape......i am partial to the blue verts.....if i ever get another c3 its gonna look like yours, nice job
Actually, the lower section was a mess. I covered it in another thread, but I had to rebuild the lower section. I got to practice my welding (boy, do I need practice!) and did a ton of grinding. Still working on that, but I'm getting close to finishing it.
In the meantime, I took care of something that has always bothered me.
I've always hated the bolt heads sticking out of the lower front fascia.
So, I made a trip to the hardware store for some stainless buttonhead bolts. I like the look so much better. Nobody may notice them, but it's a detail that I needed to address for myself.
SO much better, right! Lol. Sometimes, it's the little things.
I spent the weekend finishing up my core support rehab project and then installed my new radiator.
The core support needed some extensive metal work on the bottom section. I pretty much replaced one whole side. I welded it all back together, and although I wouldn't use flux-core wire again, I did manage to do a passable job. It's not the prettiest, but with the help of some judicious grinding, it turned out alright.
One coat of primer, sand, then several coats of Krylon Industrial semi-flat.
Reinstalled in the car.
Then, on to the good stuff. I selected an aluminum radiator from Cold Case, based, in part, from a recommendation in a thread here on the forum. It wasn't the most expensive (Dewitts?), nor the cheapest (Champion?). I really liked that the tanks were press molded to look similar to OEM, and not a bunch of aluminum rectangles welded together. It's a pretty good looking unit.
I opted to leave the the tanks natural, but painted the fins.
The install was relatively painless. I had test fit everything when I was welding my core support back together. The only modifications I had to do were 1) I moved the passenger side lower cushion bracket about 1/2 an inch for more clearance around the drain petcock, and 2) the driver's side upper cushion bracket needed some grinding and adjustment to where the rubber isolator sits in order to get more clearance around the upper hose tube.
I still need to install the foam seals to get as much airflow going through the radiator as possible, but I took a test drive after getting the engine up to operating temp and the gauge was sitting at about 185 degrees when in motion. Climbs slightly when idling for awhile. Ambient temps were at 105 here in Phoenix, so I was happy with the results!
Now, for a teaser of my next idea I'm working on...
Not being a very patient man, I've caved in (again) to my Corvette addiction, but in a very satisfying way. Allow me to present a couple teaser pics of my 1969 Lemans Blue convertible.
On the other side of the garage sits my '75 coupe. I bought it a couple years ago with the intention of tinkering with it and learning how these cars are put together. It needed A LOT of work. Still does, but I was able to get it back into running condition...fixed the fuel system...fixed the cooling system...fixed the headlight vacuum system...rebuilt the power steering pump and control valve...rebuilt the front suspension...and addressed everything that was leaking. TONS of work. Learned a lot. Had some fun.
However, it quickly became apparent that my heart was being pulled in a different direction...towards the chrome bumper versions.
I've been scouring the internet for the past 10 or 12 months for '68 to '72 small block cars, finally deciding that '68-'69 was my favorite. I love the gills.
Color had to be either Lemans blue or silver. Why is it that when you're looking for a particular color, you seem to find everything BUT that color?
Anyway, I passed on a couple good candidates before happening upon this '69 convertible at a local Corvette dealer. I'd been consistently searching my local Craigslist ads, hoping to find a private owner car (in AZ, you don't pay sales tax on private vehicle sales). Wasn't finding what I wanted, so I decided to check dealer ads and this one happened to show up.
Matching #'s car. The previous owner had rebuilt the engine, installed brand new brake calipers, new tires, and new front and rear sway bars.
Things started out a little rocky when a rocker arm nut backed itself off after getting the car home, but I was able to get that fixed and I'm really loving the car!
Anyway, the car is pretty well preserved, but there are plenty of projects I have in mind to make it better. I'll document them in this thread.
Oh, and I'll be listing the '75 coupe in the "for sale" section sometime in the coming weeks. I hope to find someone who can finish what I started and bring it all the way back to it's former glory.
It's been a little while, but I'm gradually getting back to working on my 69.
One item on the to-do list that's been long overdue is drilling a bunch of holes in the fenders! Lol. My wife bought me gill inserts for my birthday two years ago, and I finally worked myself up to installing them. Once you start, there's no going back. The fit is not perfect, but not much can be done about that. Just had to line them up as best I could.
I love the way they look. Should have been a standard item.
Nice!
I took the Louvre plunge last year too!
Love the look.
BTW - any progress made with your Homelink "teaser" post?
Also - couldn't help but notice in your earlier posts, that this car must have had a heavy left-foot-braker in the past, based on the wear of the rubber pad.
01-15-2018, 10:41 PM
