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Well the 3D paint turned out to be a failure... at least with this brand; I could not find scribbles over here. The paint is being absorbed by the dumdum. On the other hand, Eastwood’s product say you can paint it. So maybe I’ll try that.
Next the power steering pump came off. I plan to do a Borgeson conversion since I’m here... so might as well drop it now.
Tidying up the engine but not super cleaning and detailing. I am not sure I want to invest in this lump. Like the cylinder walls, the freeze plugs look fresh. So the jury is still out.
This fella will be going ou to the machine shop to get resurfaced Timing tape to make my life easier when tuning Nice plugs
So that would be a 1/4" bit & 8/32" screw on this side of the pond. Thanks
I just tackled this one over the weekend as well.
Picked up the Harbor Freight Riv-Nut kit for $21.
Came with 10 Aluminum inserts in 4 different sizes.
For my sill plates, I went with the 2nd smallest (#8 - 32) and they worked perfectly using a 1/4" drill bit into the sill.
(my HF package was mis-marked, stating the screw size was 8-22, but I confirmed the inserts were 32 pitch)
Went with SS screws 1" long with the "Oval" head, and they fit nicely to the holes in the Sill Plate.
Check another one off the list!
Last edited by Bergerboy; Jun 10, 2019 at 01:15 PM.
I just tackled this one over the weekend as well.
Picked up the Harbor Freight Riv-Nut kit for $21.
Came with 10 Aluminum inserts in 4 different sizes.
For my sill plates, I went with the 2nd smallest (#8 - 32) and they worked perfectly using a 1/4" drill bit into the sill.
(my HF package was mis-marked, stating the screw size was 8-22, but I confirmed the inserts were 32 pitch)
Went with SS screws 1" long with the "Oval" head, and they fit nicely to the holes in the Sill Plate.
Check another one off the list!
I could not think of the word Riv-Nut to save my life this morning. Thank you for saving my life, LOL!
So last night I finally pulled the trigger on purchasing the rest of the parts that I needed to get my corvette running again. It was a small fortune; but there was nothing for it. It needs to be done. Parts to ship next week include but are not limited to:
USED
Griffin aluminum rad
Black Magic fan (I don’t ever want to be concerned about overheating)
Radiator core support
Hopefully some used door lock mechanisms too...
NEW
More dye
140 Amp alternator
Borgeson steering box
Front coils
Shocks
Clutch kit
Tools
Ball joints and bushings
Washer pump rebuild
No progress pics to show only an update of what I’m up to and a time line.
I’m on the hook to get the car back together by August 24.
My plans, and I have most of the parts, is as follows:
- front suspension rebuild
- headlight mechanism rebuild
- wiper door mechanism rebuild
- Borgeson conversion
- window regulator rebuild
- new clutch
- paint and install rear seats.
- engine reinstall on new rubber mounts
- fuel injection conversion
the last item I still have to order. I was thinking a Summit TBI with Edelbrock’s sump kit. Probably I’ll do a post on this tomorrow... I need feedback to make sure I’m not missing any fuel injection conversion parts.
My goal with such a big order is to bring this car to a level of daily driver, reliability. There will still be many projects, but in the meantime I will be able to enjoy the second half of the cruising season.
I pulled the trigger and the consolidator/shipper will ship ASAP. I expect the shipment will get here next week.
Unfortunately there is little I can do as I will be leaving on vacation from the 15th to the 30th. I will be going back to the States to visit my family in New Orleans. This will be the first time my kids visit the USA.
The clutch kit came in. I’ve never really worked on manuals before, but I think we can safely say that the disc was worn. I am hoping that, along with the dry rotted motor mounts, this was the source of vibration when cruising at 60 mph. The vibration was mild but rather annoying. I also noticed that the pilot bearing was rather sloppy - that is going to come out too.
The corvette was also quite difficult to get moving. Comparing with the new clutch disc, it’s quite obvious why.
Today, we begin the suspension rebuild and upgrade the steering with a Borgeson kit.
More bubba was found. Surprisingly, not a scratch... not even a single nick on me
So first we turn the car around.
Remove wheel and raised as high as I could.
I tried removing only the rubber brake lines, but it got so kinked up it seemed more of a hassle than to just remove the caliper entirely. I couldn’t detect anything wrong with the bearings.
As far as I can tell these the seals look in good shape. I don’t think these are OEM pistons. At this point I’m not sure I will bother sanding and painting. This show needs to keep moving. Detailing can come later. Then again, I’m very wishywashy.
Last edited by DorianC3; Aug 10, 2019 at 01:14 PM.
Here we have bubba cotter pins. There were a few of these around.
This tool was fabulous. So much so that I never had to use a pickle fork. The first couple of pops required a change of underwear - but I quickly got the hang of it and popped every single ball joint with it.
With the engine out, there wasn’t enough weight to slightly compress. I learned this trick from working on air-cooled VW rear suspensions.
First spring out without a compressor.
Two out. This turned out to be easier than expected. Much !
The old upper control arms will not be reused. So I won’t bother cleaning them up. They seem to line up fairly well with the new ones. The tubular ones came with aluminum bushings.
New springs. Clearly shorter, these are rated at 440#/inch. They were less than $100 for the pair. I wanted to go with a higher rate, but they cost twice as much. This is a good start. It will be a significant improvement nonetheless.
This was interesting. The nut retaining the arm was loose ! The puller hardly had to work to get it off.
LOL!
