So the car wanted to die a couple times under hard braking. At first I thought it was just the ECU learning, but it didn't get better. I started testing for vacuum leaks, and it looks like it may be my brake booster.

The check valve and grommet are brand new and check out fine. I used a hand pump to pump the booster up to 15 inches of vacuum and it held pretty well, I left it pumped up and came back a few hours later and it was down to 12 inches. It is hard to imagine that THAT slow of a leak could cause any issue.

The littler in line filter between booster and throttle body seems to have a small leak, I pumped it up to 15 inches and i could visibly see the vac gauge going down, probably leaks about an inch of vacuum every 5 seconds or so. Again, this seems like a very small amount and hard to imagine it is causing the issue, but I went ahead and ordered a new filter to replace that.

It is raining alot here, but I am going to block off the booster vacuum line and try to drive the car and see if it still has the stalling issue under braking so I can at least determine if that is the issue or not.

 

So I'm doing pretty bad when it comes to keeping this thread up to date!!

So here's a couple pics:








replaced the seals in my passenger side headlight actuator that were leaking, and rewarded the Vette with a night drive! Finally got the timing issues sorted out (distributor weights weren't advancing), and fixed some other small things. The car has NEVER ran better! Put 100 miles on it yesterday (started and stopped 10 times over that period) and it runs perfect. Starts up instantly. Idles beautifully. Stops hard. Revs up and roasts the tires. Literally like a dream.

I am never satisfied with power, so I'm already dreaming of a 383 bottom end or a 406. I should be making roughly 400 hp, hope to dyno it soon and see 300 at the tire (though that might be slightly optimistic with the IRS drivetrain losses. But not gonna lie, car feels quick! Even my wife who rides motorcycles and has ridden in plenty of fast cars (my brother has owned quite a few over the years, currently has a 400 whp STI) said it felt scary fast.

It has been a LONG road to get the car to a point where it is reliable enough to drive every day, fast enough to be a ton of fun, and handle and brake well enough to be safe and thrilling in the bends, but so worth it!

 

Those are some very well taken dusk time pictures - great job!

 

Ha, well thanks! I am no good with a camera so I just snapped them real quick, as evidenced by the not-shut drivers door and hood, and the open headlights!

One of these times I"ll have my little sister takes some pictures of it, she has a nice DSLR camera and actually knows how to use it.

 

I love everything you've done to your 79. Wanna come replicate it on my 79?????

 

The car looks great, and I'm glad you are getting some use out of it! There is no better feeling than getting some miles on a fun road.

 

Thanks! Haha, well most of it is just time and motivation, nothing crazy difficult. And half the enjoyment comes from learning it! What have you done to your 79 so far?

 

Thanks! It definitely feels good to be able to hop in and drive it whenever I want without worrying, this is one of the only times it's been like that since I"ve owned it!

 

They just salted the roads around here so the Vette is staying nice and cozy in the garage until it rains again. But it is running fantastic!

So to keep me busy over the winter I got a couple fun toys (even though I really should just be working on the Vette interior and some other miscellaneous things)

First one is a chinese 150cc scooter I got FOR FREE on craigslist. Thing is an absolute mess, previous owner cut and spliced wires everywhere, missing all kinds of pieces. But low and behold, $10 of parts (CDI and coil) and quite a few hours of bypassing Bubba's bypassed ignition job, and a good carb cleaning and adjustment, and it fired right up and purred!

Second project isn't actually as much of a project as it is just a beat up toy that I have wanted for a while. It is a 98 Honda CR250r dirtbike! Got it for cheap, it doesn't look like much (cracked plastics and dirty), but it is mechanically sound and HOLY COW fast. I have owned quite a few fast streetbikes, and honestly didn't expect much from a 250cc motor (even if it was a 2 stroke). Boy was I wrong! I did the math and it has nearly as high hp/pound ratio as my Buell XB12s streetbike (CR250r is 49hp/212 pounds =.217 hp/lb. Buell is 100 hp/ 390 pounds = .256 hp/lb).

Unfortunately I don't own property so I don't have easy access to a good place to ride (didn't stop me from buzzing it down the neighborhood to a wooded area to follow a couple deer trails), but as soon as I have a warm day I'll throw it in the truck and find some good trails to rip down!

Pic of the current stable: