In an attempt to not make this thread too busy all pics are small, but are "clickable" to get a better view. More of what I have found below the pics.







I've spent most of the last two days going through this vette(still a ways to go) and here's what I've found so far.

1) The door lock on the passenger side was probably out for a reason. The hole for the lock has been opened up slightly and one will not fit securely in it. That's not good at all. For now I have installed a lock(unfunctional) just to make it cleaner and keep water out of the inside of the door.

2) All of the functional stuff for getting an inspection seem to be intact except for the parking brake. The vacuum actuators for the headlights have been changed and they fly open. The gate to the windshield wipers works great and so do the wipers. Headlights, turn signals, horn and brake lights are functional.

3) All of the gauges(except the *crock*) work fine. The tach works and then it doesn't. Not sure what to look for there. At idle the oil pressure is 35PSI.... about 50PSI at about 2000RPMs.... and pegs 70PSI when giving it some power.

4) The carpet definitely needs to go sometime in the future and the leather seats have seen their day. No tears... just age. The dash is flawless and center console parts in excellent shape except for the back console part where the parking brake is. It has multiple cracks. Both door panels will need to be replaced sometime in the future as there is a quarter size chunk missing on the driver's side arm rest and the passenger side has a dime size nick.

5) The engine bay is all original that I can see except for missing the chrome alternator cover(I have one) and missing the chrome air cleaner top. Valve covers are not in the greatest shape. Down the road I will change out the valve covers, intake & air breather system. That's a few bucks so will have to wait till probably later this year.

6) The engine starts right up, but a little rough while it is warming up. After kicking it down it seems to be idling too high and stumbles a little at first when giving it the gas. There is a bit of black smoke out of the tail pipes when I really hit it. Carb too lean(rich)?... Timing? What do you all think? Where's a good spot on the engine to hook up a positive cable for a timing light? Engine sounds very tight and nice rumble coming out of the tailpipes.

7) I'm really not sure what Muncie tranny & rear end is in this vette. It was advertised as a M-22, but it's a pretty wide shifting pattern and I can easily get 40MPH out of 1st gear without really revving the motor. Yea.... I had to semi go through a couple of gears even though I have no plates on this car yet. Appears to be a very low rear end gearing, but definitely will fly as it will shove you back in your seat and give a rush of blood.

8) The frame does have surface rust. I went though everything I could see and didn't find any horror stories. Not sure what I will do down there, but it's garage kept, so I'll just let that ride for now.

9) The gas tank is brand new and new filtering system. That surprised me. There is trash floating in the gas, so I will be draining it. Luckily it came in just about empty.

10) The paint overall looks great, but you can see where it was white before in spots. The driver's door was poorly painted. You really have to look at the right angle to see the poor paint, but it's evident.

And that's where I stand for now. I want to get the engine idling/running better before I haul it out on the streets and get it inspected. I'll change the plugs & oil next week and try working with the carb/timing aspects.

 

Sounds pretty good, Barry. You probably want to check out the timing and make sure the mixture is set correctly on the carb. I just bought an advanced timing light and electronic tach this morning so I've also been checking timing (see other thread).
If you need to borrow an advanced timing gun to check total advance just let me know.

 

Travis,

Do you know off hand what the initial mixture settings(turns out on the screws) is on a Holley 4175 Model 80555(650cfm spreadbore w/electric choke) would be? From what I have looked up this carb was a replacement for Rochester carbs on '65-'69 engines.

Of course.... anyone that pipes in would be appreciated.

 

:lol: Off hand? Nope, sure don't. But you can set it using a vacuum gauge. Basically start probably at 1 1/2 to 2 turns turns out and then check vacuum from a ported hole on the carb. Then adjust in or out a 1/4 turn and notice how the vacuum reading changes. Basically you want the most vacuum you can get and of course balance the rest of the mixture screws to match.

 

Thanks for sharing the pics. :thumbs: :seeya

 

looks good :yesnod:

 

Baryy, nice looking '71 man. :thumbs:

 

BG:
For the stumble try tightening the spring on the accel pump lever.

Tranny, one of the first things I would have checked is the numbers on the pass side, stamped. You should see a portion of your VIN and another 6 or 7 character number. Post that number, we can decode it for you. I hate to be a negative Nancy(south park lingo) :) but I have my doubts about it being a M-22, probably numbers matching though.

Post your rpm @ 50 or so mph, we can guess at the gear ratio. My guess is a 3:08 or 3:36.

Tach, probably the gear in the dist or the tach. I have seen Lars mention that gear before, He can fix it... I would spin the tach cable with a drill and see if the tach acts up.



[Modified by LAvetteman, 9:43 PM 7/27/2003]