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Hmmmm, I will measure when I get home this evening but... my damper is significantly smaller than that...
What effect could this have? A vibration?
You engine is not externally balanced...so I doubt it would cause an issue.
But the distance between the timing tab and outer surface of the harmonic balancer can cause you...if you use a timing light to set your timing...and set the timing to the normal timing advance specs...then engine may run oddly and be 'out-of-whack' when you adjust the timing to those specs....due to the '0' mark on the timing tab is in a different place.
Ok, today we are going on our first 100-mile drive. I drove to work this morning (about 20 miles). This afternoon I will be driving quite a few more miles.
The drive up was uneventful. The morning was cool and traffic fluid, so there was no chance of overheating. I am set on replacing the radiator with a De Witt; I have only read excellent reviews.
My goal here with this shake down drive, is mostly to hunt down the vibration. It seems to appear at 2700 rpm and fade out at higher rpm. This leads me to think that the balancer is the issue. It might be the exhaust still banging somewhere. TBD
There are used Performer intakes on local e-Bays here. I may go that way to save a few $$$ rather than buy a Weiand Street Warrior - TBD as well. Getting the car going is really not fun.
The clutch linkage is rattling and missing at least three springs. I intend to go aftermarket there too.
Finally, not this weekend but next, I will be doing a power brake conversion. The brakes on there now are adequate... but... come on !
I do find that despite a lot of work that remains to be done on the suspension, it handles pretty good !!!! Better than some other new cars on the road. The low center of gravity must be in it for something. Once I have fully perfected, it should be quite good !
Next up - tinkering on the ignition and carburetion.
I was running quite rich at idle according to my plugs and popping in mufflers. I hate popping in mufflers.
Having ruled out everything I could there was one last thing to check: fuel pressure to the carb.
A quick check and... well, that's unequivocal.
I temporarily cannibalized the pressure regulator from my Karmann Ghia and, sure enough... popping was gone and the plugs started cleaning up. But we are not there yet.
Just read through all this and wanted to say:
- that C3 is in excellent hands and congratulations! Sounds like you're editing neglect & stupidity out of it.
- I love the blue paint. A lot. Very nice. That thing must really turn some heads when you go cruising.
- the fact that the clock works is a sign. I have a '69 L46 that I have been totally p****d off at sometimes but the clock just keeps going accurately and keeps me from taking an axe to the thing sometimes ......
My OEM clock works if I flick the face with my fingernail or after a drive down the road a couple miles.
When it's parked in the garage for a couple of days it will stop working again.
I figure its retired and feels it only has to work when it wants to.
Next up - tinkering on the ignition and carburetion.
I was running quite rich at idle according to my plugs and popping in mufflers. I hate popping in mufflers.
Having ruled out everything I could there was one last thing to check: fuel pressure to the carb.
A quick check and... well, that's unequivocal.
I temporarily cannibalized the pressure regulator from my Karmann Ghia and, sure enough... popping was gone and the plugs started cleaning up. But we are not there yet.
Just to confirm, that fuel pressure seems high, no?
How did you adjust it?
I kind of have to agree that 12 psi is kind of on the high side. I am more into it being 6 to 9 psi. But what do I know.
I fell that with it being that high the only issue that could occur is the fuel gets past the needle and seat and can fill up the front blow to the point where you have geyser and fuel flows out of the vent of the carb or drips in the carb depending on what carb you have and it causes for a really rich condition at idle.
My OEM clock works if I flick the face with my fingernail or after a drive down the road a couple miles.
When it's parked in the garage for a couple of days it will stop working again.
I figure its retired and feels it only has to work when it wants to.
I am indeed annoyed at the bubba-abuse this car went through. And yes, the fact that the clock is still ticking, does encourage me to keep going.
I took the corvette to a VERY small car show in my neighborhood. It was nice to see the attention it got; there aren't many early C3s in good shape over here. That was encouraging too.
The reading above of 12 PSI is in prior to me borrowing the fuel pressure regulator off of my Karmann Ghia. I cranked it down to 5 PSI and immediately, it cleaned things up.
I did not take a picture of how I installed the fuel pressure regulator, because it was simply ghastly.
I did order, however, a new one, off of Summit and this weekend, assuming the delivery arrives by then, I will be installing it.
Stay tuned !
Last edited by DorianC3; Aug 20, 2018 at 04:53 AM.
I am glad that the problem was only in you adjusting the fuel pressure. Funny how something so simple can fix a problem.
I know you did not ask for this reply.. But I will write this. I work on so many fuel delivery system to the carburetor that are so screwed up that it would make your head spin. Often times the person who installed it used rubber fuel hose and that is fine if you want to get it running. The problem; with rubber fuel hose from the fuel pump to the carburetor is that IN TIME...if the hose is not periodically checked and inspected. The hose can get hard and possible crack THUS causing for fuel leak. Which in turn...if not caught soon enough can cause the car to catch on fire due to often times this fuel spray works its way back to the distributor or to the firewall where the micro switch is for the wiper door equipped Corvettes and that can set one on fire if the fuel gets to an area where a SPARK is.
SO...on the fuel delivery system I often times custom make them so from the fuel pump to the carburetor it is hard lined with NO rubber hose and hose clamps or it is converted over to the stainless steel braided fuel hose and the correct fittings for it. I try at all cost to keep the number of fittings or places where fuel can leak to the bare minimum. So if a fuel pressure gauge or what have you is wanting to be added into the fuel line from the pump to the carburetor...I am very watchful of how I do it and try to make the set-up bullet proof even if it requires me to custom make brackets and clamps to secure these parts so they are supported and not able to move around or be stressed due to not having a support.
This had been annoying me for quite a while. A neighbor had a cheap welder. It was enough to weld a nut on there and get it off. The reason it was broken off? The bolt was metric.
A good basis to start...
Last edited by DorianC3; Sep 14, 2018 at 12:51 PM.
YES...it DOES look like Christmas time at your place.
I hope you are replacing he coolant. just because it looks good does not mean it is good. IF you do replace it...MAKE SURE you remove the two block drain plugs to actually drain the block due to just draining the radiator is really only removing a portion of the coolant that was in the system.
YES...it DOES look like Christmas time at your place.
I hope you are replacing he coolant. just because it looks good does not mean it is good. IF you do replace it...MAKE SURE you remove the two block drain plugs to actually drain the block due to just draining the radiator is really only removing a portion of the coolant that was in the system.
DUB
Ha ! Good point! I had forgotten about those. Those bolts always scare me. They always seem fused to the block. I will try an get them out soon.
I also repaired the horns. One of them wasn't working. Cleaning up the contacts and a few blows with the mallet solved that one. It is funny how a small thing such as working horns can make the car feel a lot less like a basket case.
Time for The Force's first mild challenge. I have to come up with a better name for it. The Sting? No that would make me feel like a hobbit. The Shark? Hmmmm...
This weekend I have a "rally race" going on here in Tournai, Belgium. Just a mapped drive. 200 miles. https://sites.google.com/site/rondewapi/ The weather was supposed to be nice. However, it seems, as of yesterday's forecast, that it may be quite : showers and possibly even small storms with lightning.
There will be another fellow C3 corvette there. Pics will follow.
I need to prep the corvette tomorrow for the event.
Some minor things to address before the race:
I think I am going to slightly close the gap on my plugs.
Install a new rear license plate bezel. That has been bugging me for a while. Man they are expensive !
Replace a fried Ammeter.
Replace the bump stop on the seats. The ones in there are completely perished.
Possibly reinstall the (empty) spare time clam. Gotta look pretty for the race. Tho I might not do that... the last thing I need is an untested clam falling off during the rally.
Upcoming projects
I know that my front A-arm bushings are in very poor condition; they all need to be replaced. The sway bar links don't look any happier.
I have had my car up to 70 mph. Perished bushings not withstanding, it did not track as well as I would have liked. Clearly I would be happier with more caster.
The stock steering was not that bad, actually. The rag-joint clearly needs to be replaced; yet there seems to be remarkably little play overall.
I have been tracking the thread on "tubular A-arms" and learning a lot. But I think I will go in a different direction. I have been eyeing the Del-A-Lum bushings and think they are the ticket for me. Global West's upper A-arms (with increased caster) are also in the cards.. also Del-A-Lum bushed. The coils, I think I am going to keep as they are for the moment. Shocks... TBD. I hear good things about Billestein (sp?). QAS-1 adjustables look overkill for a daily driver. No rack and pinion conversion at this time. Let's start with a Borgeson.
The hand brake seems to hardly work. The lever fully pulled seems to have no effect on the vehicle in motion. When stationary you can feel the rear drums locking the vehicle. My guess is there is a spring or so loose there.
Last edited by DorianC3; Sep 20, 2018 at 03:44 AM.
I hate doing this, but it is necessary. Time to find unequivocally where TDC is using a piston stop. One time a bent a piston stop leaving me worried for a long time about damage I might have done to the top of the piston. Ever since...
TDC was spot on where it should be. Tho' I cannot help but feel this harmonic balancer is too small to do a good job. I still have some vibration, but much less than before. I have some suspicions... but that is for another time.
Wow !!! I found this is the fuel line !!!! Replaced them all. Before anyone calls it, I call it first. Hard tubing, and or steel braided hoses are an upcoming upgrade.
T
: showers and possibly even small storms with lightning.
