Looks great

 

1 gallon (so far) of Simple Green, toothbrush, razor scraper (to get the REALLY thick stuff off), and 4 boxes (so far) of 200 count "Shop Rags" paper towels. Boy my arms are tired!

I just had to be really careful with the scraper so I didn't scratch or cut into the fiberglass.

I wish I could, but it is pre-shaped and the holes (for the linkage cable and rubber shifter boot) will only line up one way. I already have it pulled as far forward as I dare.
I did buy the bellhousing collar too though, so hopefull that will help keep the forward part of the tunnel cooler.

That's what I'm doing, but know as soon as I am done I will probably notice about 5 little things that I missed.

 

was it a full kit or just the trans tunnel insulation? i found the IN32M heat barrier kit.... i ordered the catalog but thats going to be awhile before it gets to me.do you by any chance have the part number, thks bob

 

While we are on the subject of insulation, chasis cleanup, etc. : The foam collar is a very worthwhile item; keeps engine heat out of compartment. (item #533566 corvete central); so is the tunnel insulation (item # 533565). All the major suppliers sell both items.

After cleaning underside of chasis and lower firewall area, consider using cool and quiet 1/8 " pressure adhesive "zero clearance" (or similar heat barrier product) in that area. See coolandquiet.com Can also be used directly under the floorpan area. It is an exterior use product!

I got the idea from another forum member who used it; and from the 68-69 models that had factory installed 3' x 2' foil covered insulation in that area. I looked at 68-69 model photos to see how and where they used it. On 73 models it can be installed directly behind the 2 lower metal splash heat shields on the lower firewall---one shield on each side. You can see the 2 metal shields in Kevin's photo above that shows the transmissionn tunnel.

I also used zero clearance on the two lower heat shields themselves. BIG improvement in heat reduction in interior. Especially when used with 1/8 " reflectix under the interior carpet .

 

patrick 73 and kevin 73....thks i found the tunnel insulation,collar and vacuum hose kit for the head lights in the CC catalog.... how is this attached, what kind of adhesive to you use?? I'm going to check out the cool and quiet website...thks bob

 

Bob: I think that any kind of quality adhesive will work on the foam tunnel piece. As I recall, I used 3M black weatherstrip adhesive. No problems at all. Some owners just wedge the foam in with no adhesive because the fit is very snug and it stays in place.

Another forum member that cleaned & painted his chasis has posted photos on his home page depicting the installation of the zero clearance exterior heat barrier on his 1976 chasis and lower firewall. I believe it is at www.littlelogcabin.com as I recall. If not, I can go back and locate the correct www.

Kevin: Not attempting to hijack your thread! Keep the photos and progress reports coming! Also, not trying to add more work ideas for you--you got your hands full now!--but you may want to consider the zero clearance to your 2 heat splash shields since you now have them so clean. You can cut the material to fit. It adheres with no glue or added adhesive and looks factory installed. It is the same material the auto manuf. currently use in their engine compartments now to reduce heat being transferred from the engine compartments to interior.

 

patrick 73 thks found the zero clearance stuff and will order that and new foam and tunnel insulation today, i have used that 3m black weather strip adhesive and your right its good stuff... the little log cabin site looks pretty big to wander through. do you have a date range or member name to help with the search. that is exactly what i want to do...so i appreciate your help, a picture of how some else did like Kevins 73 trans tunnel is great info....thks bob

 

Bob,

Glad you were able to find the insulation and other things you were looking for.
The stock tunnel insulation doesn't use adhesive, it is held in place by 4 "clips" that are riveted to the fiberglass of the tunnel. The clips are soft steel with two sharp pointed tabs that stick out perpedicular to the surface. The insulation is positioned, then you simply depress the area around these tabs so the points poke through the insulation, then you simply bend the tabs over to keep the unsulation from falling off.
I bought new clips with the insulation, but luckily my original clips were still in fairly good shape (only one of the tabs broke off when I bent it over) so I did not have to replace mine.
I had no idea how the collar was supposed to be held in there, but I suspected that it was just a really tight fit. I had planned to give it a try first, and if the fit ends up being too loose I will probably try using weatherstrip adhesive.

Patrick,
NO worries about highjacking. It keeps the thread at the top so it is easier for me to find, and quite frankly, I am beginning to run out of energy for this project. Thanks for the help.

Since I am trying to get the engine in this thing this weekend I don't think I am going to have time to gather more insulating materials and get them installed before then, so I will have to save that project for a latter time. I will definitely keep the Zero Clrearance material in mind though, it sounds like great stuff.

And now pics!!

 

More pics

 

i put an new interior in my car even with insulation and carpet padding still hot as a dog, i'm definitely adding more insulation, my 77 has a steel floor board and trans tunnel so i need to glue it up, i'm also going to put some glue on that trans "collar".

how did you get the radiator shroud looking so good? even after pressure washing it mine is still ugly... i think a scubbing pad, sos or even steel wool is in order, you are doing great work and i know its going to look great....is the AC/htr core unit painted gloss black and the firewall satin or flat black...thats exactly what i'm looking for....the subtle differences

tried this last night..not so subtle but seemed like a good idea in the paint isle.... not sure what to think though

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i may need to re think this idea..

 

My fan shroud is only about 3 years old. When I bought this car Bubba had cut the original fan shroud in half and the lower portion was missing, so I had to replace it.
It was still pretty dirty when I removed it this time though. I had to scrub it for quite a while with a big stiff bristled brush and use lots of simple green and paper towels. Just keep scrubbing and wiping until no more dirt comes off of it.

The new radiator and core support were painted gloss black when they arrived. I used semi-gloss black on the frame and firewall. For some reason (I still don't know exactly why) I used flat black on the inner fenders. I would like to go back and re-do the inner fenders in semi-gloss, but since the radiator is already in it I don't think it is going to happen.

I kind of like the silver on your inner fenders, but won't that be difficult to keep looking decent later on as the dirt and grease build up again?

 

this paint from last night is almost looking like shiny metal....
i had a gray almost industrial looking gloss gray on the inside engine compartment of an Austin Healy 3000 I did a frame off restoration on...it looked great but the inner panels were relatively square and boxy so you could easily get at everything and there were no over spray issues, i'm going to try that tonight before i give up on it.... dirt and all, really wasn't much of an issue and because you could see it ... it was easy to clean up....

 

That looks really nice. Something to be proud of.

 

Bob: The www.littlelogcabin site has been modified and changed. The members name is pemmell. He has a 76 white coupe. Great guy and member. He still has his photo gallery but has removed the photos of his "zero clearance" underbody installation. He was the member that educated me on the product. You may be able to contact him to obtain the photos; or once I get a new digital camera I will send you my photos.

Kevin: Your AC Evap. box looks great! In order to prevent AC air leaks--and stop losing my cold air--I caulked around the entire evap. unit with black caulking; especially on the bottom and the side adjacent to engine. Big improvement! It stopped cold air loss and prevented hot engine air from entering the AC system and exiting via the interior AC ducts. (This is another tip I learned from a forum member. ) Turn on your AC and run your hand around the evap unit and I promise you will feel cold air leaking out from some location unless you have caulked it.

 

thks not able to get meaningful access to the site, can't even get into to ask to join...do you remember his corvette forum name so i can PM him? on my 77 i have a demarcation or threshold issue where the fiberglass meets the steel floor boards.. i really would like to see how far people carry this up into the fire wall... thks bob

 

Patrick,
Several years ago I completely re-sealed the entire AC system. When I did this I must have put a little too much caulking on the evaporator box because the top center portion of it does not pull in flush to the firewall (about a 1/4" gap). Both sides and the bottom are nice and tight though, and since I couldn't find any leaks at all I left it alone.

I was already planning to try to tighten it up a little tonight when I pull the passenger side dash apart to get the rest of the AC wiring harness replaced. I will probably be removing some caulking though, I know it doesn't need any more.

Another thing, when I had the evaporator box out of mine I found that the sheet metal divider that goes between the box and the firewall was rusted through on the bottom. It was allowing hot air from around the heater core to circulate with cold air from the evaporator, and vice-versa. I fixed it by laying up some fiberglass over the hole and painting it really well to prevent any more rusting.
I actually had to do a LOT of fiberglassing on almost all of the AC parts, because at some point Bubba had worked on them with a crowbar and every piece was broken in some way, but that's another story.

 

Bob: You have mail re zero clearance photos and name of member.

 

thks, 4:34 EST and no mail yet?? thks again, bob

 

Bob: I sent it to your e mail address as you listed with the corvette forum. I did not send it to "private messages". Have you changed e-mail addresses? Call me if you do not receive. 903-531-9233 (work). Patrick

 

I was busy last night.
Got the brake booster back in it.
Used a lot of new words during the many attempts to get that little clip onto the brake pushrod clevis pin.
Cleaned all the gunk and grime off the windshield wiper motor and re-installed it.
installed all three of the the new wiiring harnesses (used a few more of those words while trying to routed the AC harness through the dash).
Installed the new throttle pushrod.
Installed the new oil pressure hose.
Cleaned and re-installed the hood latches.
Re-installed the new fan blower motor and painted the spacer.








Didn't have time to get the dash put back together though


Tonight I should be able to finish everything on the car and start working a few bracket adaptors that I will need for the AC compressor mount. Then I will just need to get the plug wires made up and I will be ready to bring the new engine and clean (mostly) vette together for the first time.

OBTW, I got word yesterday that my spiral baffles from STS have been shipped and should be here Friday. That means that I will have all the parts in my possession by this weekend, and barring any unforseen problems I should be and by no later than Sunday!!!