calwldlife

thermostats can be killed by overheating.

sorry, i think there is a good chance that there is major trouble in your
engine cooling system.
to include headgasket or/and head cracks.

Douglas Brown

He did not arbitrarily tell me to bump up the ignition 5 degrees for altitude. THIS is what I got from our conversation, I found information on-line that said the same thing but explained it better. I checked this out by Advancing the distrib. until it began to falter then backed off a little at a point where it seemed to run smooth, When I checked with an adjustable light I found it was about 16-17 deg, I ran the rpm up to 2800 and the timing ark moved to about 12.

THE proof in in the pudding.....

gkull

It's doubtful if all your timing is in at 2800. So at higher rpm you probably have too much timing. I don't understand about proof in the pudding when you don't address everything.

I have 18 initial with 15 mechanical all in at 3200 rpm with my vacuum advance dial set to 10 degrees above 14 inches of vacuum

​​​​

Douglas Brown

I do not know about all the timing. MY timing light stops blinking at about 2800....I have addressed every thing I can where I am with what I have. The Mech. has it working great, using his tools. As far as vacuum goes. THERE is no 14 inches at 45-5K elevation. Since you loose 1" per. 1,000 ft rise. from sea level.AND there is an allowance to be made for the cam so Vac. drops a little more. And you loose power at this elevation due to thinner air there by advancing the timing to make up for the lack of air. NOT like sea level which is thicker. THE most VAC I could get was 9-10" with all tubes disconnected. ....The info I got from Lars Grimsrud, SVE Automotive Restoration, on-line, states (most GM- SB V8 w/ VA disconnected perform best when total timing, full centrifugal adv. is all in at 2,500 - 2800 rpm and set at 36-38 deg. )
NOW I am not smart, BUT I do listen to you guys, and others who come up with a fix or two. I also find there those who enjoy sending me on a merry go round. All well intentioned I am sure.

gkull

If all your advance is down so low. Some one put lite weight springs your time total is good

Douglas Brown

I hope so...…


Back in Oct I took it in for a 4 wheel alignment. I know I was told the new machines can align it if I give them the Numbers. Except when the shops turn you away because of the age. Tell me they can not do it. I have to take it to the guy with older equipment....So I leave it with him..
I pick it up and he tells me it is good. ..Great...winter sets in and I do not drive it much....When the guy here in town puts it up on the rack to check out the under side he calls and tells me I am missing shims on the driver side at the trailing arm. I go look, yep they missing about a 1/2" worth, and I left the extra shims I had for them when they aligned it. I have another appointment with the alignment shop in June.....

It's just disappointing to be jacked around by incompetent help, which hurts the owner.(he has been in Carson City 40yr's)

Off subject sorry..
DB

gkull

In Reno all big 0 tires and Les shwab do older vettes

both of my big solid roller motors idle at a bouncey 11 with 950 hot idle rpm. Driving with a vacuum gauge I exceed 16 out on the highway cruise

Douglas Brown

That is good to know...We do not have a big "O" in Carson city, the Les Swab charged me 175 to mount and balance 4 tires on new rims I did not buy from them. I thought that was little high.

If this next appointment does not work out I'll look else where.

gkull

I buy tires from the tire rack and pick them up. The m&b price is kinda a what ever. There are smaller shops but you are taking chances. A few years ago and I have directional mounted tires. The arrow points to the correct rotation. I showed up at the track and was going to mount the tires and both rears were mounted the same I was pissed and couldn't take a chance driving over 150 mph. It's half my fault for not checking when I picked them up

you can increase your idle vacuum by just increased idle rpm. I just installed a new 4.11 rear end yesterday and was mucking with some dials on my dizzy and my hot idle rpm was 1200 driving around. Really smooth, but I m going to turn it down to about 1000. I have a manual transmission

Douglas Brown

Problem with ICM's burn out or so I thought. I have been told my several older mechanics who had their own shops at one time....IF you are going through ICM's look to the drive source. In other, look at the Dist. coil pick up. I bought a new Dist. so far so good.

Douglas Brown

Hey GKull, I am re-reading this and have a few questions.
1st. you put on a Fan....w/ chin spoiler (???) do you mean at the bottom of the shroud or around the shroud opening.
2nd you put on Higher GPM wp.
3rd you added a larger radiator & a stage 4 WP and dual Spal fans (w/ shroud ??). DID you remove the flex fan?

( On my electric fan connection, the plastic melted (to close to the rad.) and caused the fan to short and stop working, (I did not know) …... I had 7 miles to go to get home, the temp kept rising, it got hot)
I learned the Elect. fan by itself was not enough, if this occurred again.
The Elect. fan would keep the temp just under 200 in the early AM on a run into Carson. BUT in the afternoon it ran much higher, sitting about 1/2 way between 200 and the next line before red.. IN the after noon say 3-6PM it runs high, the fan can not bring down, at night, after sunset it cools off better.

I ask because, I have an Alum. Rad. & R. Shaw & Stewart Stage 2 WP and Spal Elec. 16" fan. 600 cfm w shroud. (which appears to be blocking air flow.) I am looking at removing the shroud on Elec. fan. I have bought a Flex fan (10K rating) to increase air flow. And considering a water flow restrictor placed near the rad. only because I am not sure about the over driven application.

DB

gkull

First off I bought my 79 L-82 new. It took about two hours of owning it and I felt duped by GM by thinking that this thing was a performance Grand touring car. It didn't handle the turns or have enough get up and go to hardly pass anything. L-82 with AC had an electric shroud fan and the factory heavy 7 blade thermal fan clutch. First I put on headman long tube headers with true duals and no cat. No smog pump. Just minor gains. So within a year or two I pulled the motor and installed the new back then Hyper pistons that the car rags were raving about and I followed a Hot Rod magazine 355 chevy build to make more HP than the famed LT1 375 Hp. So in went a crane cam, 1.6 roller tip rockers, fully ported and polished 186 casting double hump heads 2.02/1.60 valves chromemoly retainers with dual springs. the motor was balanced and 6.250 fluid damper. Good for 7000 rpm every day of the week. Because of the power and compression increase to the 10.5 area the cooling system because taxed here in the hot Southwest.

So I extended the chin spoiler by riveting on vinyl wall base board trim. The heavy clutch fan was a dangerous POS. As my rpm climbed you could hear the fan roaring and when you needed it most it would go into the free wheeling and quit moving air. So I bought the 10,000 rpm brand of stainless steel flex fan. It could still get hot on occasion and I installed a higher volume water pump


My original higher volume pump and I forget the brand name was crappy job of rebuilding stock pumps with a larger width water impeller. The problem with them is that they increased flow at lower rpm and went into cavitation at higher rpm. They were made for your sub 5000 rpm motors. So then I went to an aluminum Team G or maybe a Stewart. That 355 ci motor lasted 10 -12 years with additional hot rodding like a single plane and 750 carb, bigger hooker S/C headers, drag race modded TH350. The tranny blew while drag racing and I installed a 700R4 OD racing tranny and 4.11 rear end. The motor finally expired during practice for a high speed 90 mile open road race. The hyper pistons smeared and clogged the rings. they have a FPM limitation. You can't be driving over 150 mph for 90 miles.


So I built an all out 383 solid roller motor designed to do 8000 rpm and I set the rev limiter at 7500 in the late 90's. Cooling was a real problem again. So in with the bigger radiator and pump. Out with mechanical flex fan. I tried a few of the smaller CFM electric fans like 2400 CFM and finally went to the dual Spals in their shroud. The 383 lasted 10,000 miles and I was down on performance compared to the some other road racing cars on the track. So I built a 7500 rpm 427 SBC and my cooling is still good today.

I think that dual spalls are rated at 3200 cfm and they require about 30 amps. I went to an under driven 105 amp single wire alternator years ago. I also played with a 30% under driven water pump for racing



( On my electric fan connection, the plastic melted (to close to the rad.) and caused the fan to short and stop working, (I did not know) …... I had 7 miles to go to get home, the temp kept rising, it got hot)
I learned the Elect. fan by itself was not enough, if this occurred again.
The Elect. fan would keep the temp just under 200 in the early AM on a run into Carson. BUT in the afternoon it ran much higher, sitting about 1/2 way between 200 and the next line before red.. IN the after noon say 3-6PM it runs high, the fan can not bring down, at night, after sunset it cools off better.

I ask because, I have an Alum. Rad. & R. Shaw & Stewart Stage 2 WP and Spal Elec. 16" fan. 600 cfm w shroud. (which appears to be blocking air flow.) I am looking at removing the shroud on Elec. fan. I have bought a Flex fan (10K rating) to increase air flow. And considering a water flow restrictor placed near the rad. only because I am not sure about the over driven application.

DB[/QUOTE]

Douglas Brown

After looking over what has been said and what I have done, the summer has come and gone. still in the garage and off the road with repairs being done. So what has happened. Engine tempter problem is now under control, ( New shroud in place, 2500 cfm electric fan installed, 10,000 rpm rated flex fan installed, and keep it off the road when outside temps are reaching 100 +in the summer here in the Nevada desert) Temps are now in the low 90's to mid 80's and the temp sits about 190 constant.

ICM's blowing, that was giving me a problem. After I went through 2 in short order and talking to mechanics, I followed their advise and bought a new dist. HEI ACCEL by Malory. that should have fixed the problem and it did until yesterday Am when the Tach. went to zero and it quit on HWY 50 in Down Town Dayton, NV. (mind you I have only driving this car to test repairs, a short 2-3 mile run.) This time it went to the shop. Turned out the rotor was allowing spark to bleed through the center of the rotor leaving the telltale carbon marks on the under side of the rotor and short out the ICM. After getting it home I went and found the apparent good rotor I had kept thinking I could reuse it if I needed it. Turns out it too had a vary small carbon line in the center of the rotor as well. It too was an ACCEL, So I am thinking I may have been to quick in replacement of the Dist. Maybe it was not the ICM but the rotor all along.


Question here??? What Rotor is made better than others and does not have defects like I have experienced???? Malory, AC Delco???? It is probably a dumb question since there is no way to tell.
I was thinking of carrying a spare rotor and ICM as back up.

Tire age; Manufacture date; if tire is over 5 yr's old I am told it has to be sold as used and if the tire is older than 10yr's it should be changed out to safety issues and insurance if your in an accident.??
So I get new tire recommended by the tire shop. they run unbalanced but the balance machine says OK.. So I start looking for vibration causes. Replace wheel bearings and races, tie rods, PW steering Cylinder and control valve, that tightened it up some. But a small amount of vibration still occurs at about 60 mph. Tires have been balanced twice on front end. Maybe their machine is rated for 50-60mph. I think I need one that goes higher.


Rear trailing Arms; I would find my self heading toward on coming traffic as I accelerated and jerked back to the left when I backed of the throttle. From what I read and learned from the mechanics is it was the bushings being bad causing this to happen. Upon getting up on a lift to inspect the bushings we find the shims are loose, we can not inspect bushings with loose shims. (this has been in the alignment shop twice before now) I went back to the shop and spoke to the owner and he said he would fix it. He did, he fixed the driver side and did not look at the passenger side, ( in fairness, I did not ask him) which is where I was going yesterday Am when the car quite.


We still do not know if the trailing Arms bushings are bad, yet. Maybe next month???


Just venting frustration.