I will more than likely take possession of a 1980 C3 within the next week or two. The car is remote, so I had Lemonsquad check it out to see that it is basically a sound vehicle. The engine bay looks a bit rough (see photos).

I'm not a DIY guy, but I'd like to show off what's under the hood at the local cruise-in. As shown in the photos, there's surface rust to the water pump and master cylinder. What would you recommend as far as getting the engine looking sharp? I don't care much for the valve covers, so I'll probably get those replaced. Anything else? Thanks.

 

L82 I'm assuming? I don't see any paint on the water pump, but there orange paint on the block? Confirm the engine stamp pad, perhaps?

Looks like there's a Holley carb under your air cleaner. Make sure it is on an appropriate intake that matches.

The carbon filter that feeds the brake booster should be mounted vertically. It it keeps vapors from destroying the booster. The bracket goes where your ignition coil sits now. Which raises the question, why does your 80 have an ignition coil? An ignition wire loom like this one would make it look a bit better (do this with your valve covers).

The fact that your engine shroud has a big notch cut out could mean that you need new engine mounts.

I'd convert back to the dual-snorkel setup if I were you. I don't know if it looks "sharp", but it does work, and I hate chrome. YMMV.

Those are just the odd and out of place items I noticed. The important thing is that it runs and is fun to drive! It should clean up just fine.

 

Thanks for that. Sent you a PM.

 

Google sbc 350 engine dress up kit and soak it in, get the juices flowing to give you a better idea of what you want.

 

I see an engine driven, stock type clutch fan, a broken original type fan shroud, an aluminum radiator with an electric fan and no shroud on that fan. Ideally, the aluminum radiator with a proper fan AND shroud should be all you need. The mech fan and shroud could be eliminated, assuming the aluminum radiator and fan are correctly sized.
I would take care of this stuff before the beautification process starts.

 

Yes, but that's the stock 1980 L82 aux fan. The temp switch is in the port head, too. It will not cool an engine by itself.

A C5 fan assembly would, though, and is a cheap way to eliminate all of that unsightlyness. OP will likely need a new alternator, wiring, etc.

That shroud will need to come out to fix the motor mounts, so that's a great opportunity to solve all of that.

 

You're saying that electric fan is a stock auxiliary piece? OK, I forgot about that. Shouldn't it have its own shroud to be a little more effective?

 

That is stock, yes! 79 L82s with AC also had it. @interpon wired his to come on at a lower temp, and with the AC. Otherwise, it comes on at 235 deg, or something stupid like that.

At any rate, most C3s respond well to electric fan assemblies, if wired properly.

 

Thanks.

 

You can simply replace the sending unit for the fan to have it come on at a lower temp. That's what I did on my 79
L-82 with air. No rewiring needed.

 

Well, where to start?
You need a breather cap in the drivers Valve Cover. The other valve cover hose should really have a PCV system. But the vacuum can not draw out by-products if "fresh air" is not allowed back into the crankcase. You have blocked circulation with that oil-fill plug in the V.C.

Chrome Valve Covers are a never-ending chore of keeping clean. However, the "new" semi-chrome is called polished aluminum. Those V.C. can be had in cast aluminum from Summit. Cast aluminum almost has the shine of chrome without the drawbacks. They are a little taller than stamped steel for rocker-arm clearance, will never bend or warp at the bolt holes (less leaks) and are easy to clean. Quite a bit more money, but quality units.

Your master cylinder may respond to some rust remover. Just put an old towel underneath it, soak, scrub. Then brush paint it, and new lid.
Same with the booster.

The Water Pump could be removed for rust removal. Eastwood Paints has a product called Alumablast? Spray-can, will make that old cast iron look like a new aluminum pump.
While the coolant is drained you could reroute the heater hoses differently. NAPA has a 90* fitting for the Intake manifold to direct the hose around the head instead of over the V.C.

Plug-wires could be saved with a good scrubbings.

Vacuum line to booster could be shortened and rerouted too.

The fan shroud should make you real nervous. One slip of the hand and . . . . .

 

Wow. That's some great feedback and ideas. Thanks for that. I have some work to do!

 

In addition to checking the motor mounts, check the transmission mount. If it compresses or is poly, it can cause the front of the engine to tilt up and take a bite out of the shroud. Where in FL are you located? Jerry

 

Remove and clean, polish or powder coat what you have.......devils in the details.........
Oh...and get a real fuel line setup.....

Jebby

 

I'm in the Ft. Lauderdale area.

 

Thanks, Jebby. I appreciate your (and everyone else's) advice and pointers.

 

Now that you've bought the car, please feel free to post the rest of the Lemonsquad photos. You paid for them after all.

And, congratulations!

 

...and if the shroud isn't a POS.

 

Welcome to the world of late bubble-back, shovel nose, C3 ownership! I like taking care of details too.

For your valve covers and air cleaner, go to Summit Racing's website and search for small block chevy dress-up kits or valve cover and air cleaner kits. I have a set from Proform and they are good quality. You'll want valve covers that are "stock height" and not "tall" unless you have a set of roller rockers on your heads. Colors and emblem/logo designs are nearly endless. Good opportunity to put in a fresh pair of valve cover gaskets too.

Replacement factory fan shrouds are available from the big parts houses, but an electric fan setup would be a good compliment to that aluminum radiator that you have. Not mandatory though. Lots of options here too. How confident are you with (minor) wiring and making said wiring look good?

Water pump. If you're replacing the shroud, you're most likely taking the radiator out to do so, so the system will be drained. Water pump is easy to remove at that point. You can scrub it down, prime it and paint it if it works fine, or you can upgrade to a new pump (higher flow or regular) and know exactly how old the water pump is. You'll need to paint the new pump too or it will look like the old one in short order. Your cooling system will be empty during this so check that thermostat and replace it too if needed.

For paint, I like the DupliColor Engine spray paints with ceramic. Pick your favorite color. I'm a fan of the DE1634 Low-Gloss (Satin) black. I used this on my alternator, alternator mounting brackets, pulleys, water pump, and fan shroud.

Cleaning your engine bay: Disconnect your battery, pick your favorite mild degreaser solution (diluted purple power, Chemical Guys All Clean, etc), get some small brushes like the ones for cleaning wheel spokes with soft bristles, and go to town. Spray down the firewall and inner fenders, scrub up the dirt, and rinse with a low-pressure water stream from your hose. Use compressed air to blow water out and away from the wiring connectors when you're done, or just let it sit and air dry for a while as you tend to other things. Just getting the dirt off the firewall, inner fenders, and firewall components will make a huge difference in the engine bay's appearance.

Master Cylinder: If your brakes work fine, then you can freshen that master up without taking it out and opening another can of worms. Removing the booster (to paint it) is a bitch, so I would just clean it up with the above mentioned degreaser, scrub, and water rinse. Get a bottle of This rustoleum rust convertor. Lightly brush it on to the outside of the master cylinder. It goes on looking like milk but dries to a dark semi-gloss black finish. You may need a few coats. Coats dry in about 30 minutes. I cleaned my engine bay up a couple months ago (above scrub and rinse) and came back out the next morning to a burnt orange master cylinder. I mean "hook-em horns", but I don't need that color in my engine bay, lol. I mistakenly thought my master was painted or coated but it was raw cast iron. That rustoleum stuff had the master looking great in about 1.5 hours. I did 3 coats. As for the lid, you can paint it and the bails that hold it on or you could probably find a shiny new one at your local O'Reily Auto for not much money.

Distributor. Your '80 should have had an HEI dizzy with the coil in the cap. Not sure what the heck is going on with that MSD. If it runs, ok great, but the HEI setup would certainly clean that area up some. Good HEI distributors can be had for reasonable money. Info on how to set them up is readily available here. Davis Unified Ignition/Performance Distributors makes good ones and they will set them up to your specs when you order it. They're more expensive than a plain ol' HEI, but they're ready to rock right out of the box. They also have a killer optional cap setup that keeps plug wires routed neatly on either side of the engine and cap. I have one on my car.

My 1980 pain in the *** project...

DupliColor DE1634 on my water pump, pulleys, rad brackets, etc...

Alternator, alt brackets, electric fan shroud, and master cylinder painted and coated. DUI HEI distributor with their "crossfire" cap option. Proform air cleaner and valve covers.

 

Thanks! I'll post the other photos shortly.