Old 66, 67 Vette owner, finally back with a 98 C5
08-22-2017, 09:51 PM
#41
Team Owner
Member Since: Sep 2002
Location: Bonita Springs, Florida
Posts: 21,886
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08-23-2017, 12:57 AM
#42
Melting Slicks
The solution for this problem is to install a LMC5 module from Compliance Parts. It's a quick, easy fix to a problem that GM could never resolve. Our resident expert on this issue is 8Vette7 and he can explain it better than anyone else. Google the module and if you have any issues, the owner is one of the best service people you could ever meet. You can call and talk with him if there are any problems and he will walk you through the entire project. GL and welcome to the C5 world.
As you mentioned the "brutal acceleration" of you older Vette, you can easily make the C5 have that same acceleration.
As you mentioned the "brutal acceleration" of you older Vette, you can easily make the C5 have that same acceleration.
Here is a question for anyone who has managed to fix the "pull key for 10 Seconds" notice- I have read the forum posts on this subject and have checked the stuff listed as possible causes. My steering wheel will turn without the key in the ign. so a recall must have been applied. Next I went into the pass. foot panel to check the relay for corrosion, someone has removed the relay and cut off the connector for this relay, I found bare wire stubs.
Next I removed the door sills and the ground connectors, ground the paint around the bolt holes to clean bare metal and cleaned the ground tabs. I removed the connectors holding the ground wires, cleaned it all and applied dielectric grease on the blades. The right bolt was tight, but the left bolt was loose. After reinstalling the grounds I heard some clicks and other noise I hadn't heard before. I recorded the DIC codes, then cleared them. When I started the engine there was 1 10 second code then no more for the rest of the day. One difference noticed is the battery voltage has jumped from below 12 volts fully charged to as high as 13.8 volts (new Optima red top battery).
This morning the 10 second code is back but a scan shows no stored codes. A previous AIR switch code was traced to no AIR fuse installed. A new fuse has eliminated that code.
Next I remove the ignition switch to check for corrosion but it appears to be new and there is no corrosion on the connecting parts. I am cleaning it all anyway and applying dielectric grease.
I have run out of things to check for the 10 second code, Is the missing relay the cause of this?
Next I removed the door sills and the ground connectors, ground the paint around the bolt holes to clean bare metal and cleaned the ground tabs. I removed the connectors holding the ground wires, cleaned it all and applied dielectric grease on the blades. The right bolt was tight, but the left bolt was loose. After reinstalling the grounds I heard some clicks and other noise I hadn't heard before. I recorded the DIC codes, then cleared them. When I started the engine there was 1 10 second code then no more for the rest of the day. One difference noticed is the battery voltage has jumped from below 12 volts fully charged to as high as 13.8 volts (new Optima red top battery).
This morning the 10 second code is back but a scan shows no stored codes. A previous AIR switch code was traced to no AIR fuse installed. A new fuse has eliminated that code.
Next I remove the ignition switch to check for corrosion but it appears to be new and there is no corrosion on the connecting parts. I am cleaning it all anyway and applying dielectric grease.
I have run out of things to check for the 10 second code, Is the missing relay the cause of this?
08-23-2017, 12:01 PM
#43
Racer
Thread Starter
CactusCat,
Thanks for your reply. As I mentioned in a previous post, my car HAS the LMC5 module installed. I was advised to contact Compliance Parts so I sent an email to them. It was several days before they got around to reply to me and during that time I had a conversation with some local pickup guys about the 10 sec. msg (I live in a rural part of Florida). They told me they had the same issue with their trucks and the simple fix they use is to bypass the ign. key nose switch. This switch is activated when the key is inserted or removed, it simply reports the ign. key in/out status to the BCM.
I already had the ignition switch out to replace it with a new one even though the old one appeared to be new. It was a simple matter to insert a jumper across the nose switch terminals and try it out. This I did while waiting the several days for Compliance to get back to me.
The ign. wiring diagrams showed that this switch made a connection to ground when the key was put in the ignition. There was no current involved. While the jumper was in place I could remove the key, lock the car, and the security system worked normally. Every time I inserted the key and started it, I got NO 10 second msg, this was not the case with the key pill switch.
As far as I could tell, none of the other fixes (including the LCM5 module) involved the key nose switch as part of the solution. I went on to try the nose switch bypass with both of the ignition switches I had on the chance that one of them might be defective. No problem was found with either switch so I reinstalled the new one I bought and ran two wires from the nose switch wires to the center console and connected them to the lugs of a spst switch I installed in the left side of the storage box in the center console. I was concerned that just using a jumper on the nose switch might bite my a**s at some point and require a tow truck back to my home. If the BCM required that the nose switch be open (for whatever reason) all I had to do was move the toggle to the OPEN/off position, the nose switch circuit returned to normal operation.
All that happens when the nose switch is kept in the CLOSED position is that the key dinger rings when the ign. is turned off, and it dings faster if the headlight switch is in one of its two on positions. I can turn the car off, remove the ign. key, lock the car, and the car is secure, I don't EVER get a wait 10 sec. msg. when I return and start it. The key dinger stops whenever the door is closed.
The first repair I attempted concerned the key pill switch, I cleaned its contacts and the key pill resistor contacts(no effect). Since the keys and the pill switch were 19 years old at the time I contacted the local dealer for an estimate on a new set of keys and a pill switch. He wanted $75 for EACH new key, and $175 for a new pill switch.
Since the key pill switch was poorly designed and it and the key pill were subject to a lot of wear I could see having to replace them way too often in the future. I ohmed the pill to get its resistance value (3.1k ohms) and created a fake pill using a stack of parallel resistors from Radio Shack. After cutting the two wires for the pill circuit and then connecting them to my fake pill I could start the car every time, but the wait 10 msg. occurred often, depending on the length of time since the ign. was turned off. I decided to install the fake pill in the center console next to the 12v power socket. To return this circuit to factory condition I would have to remove the driver's knee bolster and resplice the two cut wires to their plug pigtail.
After using MY fix for several months with NO issues I am leaving it as modified. My security system works normally, and I can get in and out and NEVER get a wait 10 msg. If I think I need additional security I remove my fake pill from its socket and clip it to my key ring. Without it installed in its socket the engine will NOT start even if a key with the correct pill value is used. Its circuit can be returned to original condition easy enough. I also believe that THIS mod is NOT necessary in the case of a new pill switch and key being used. Only the nose switch mod is necessary.
I'm sorry for the long winded explanation, installing the 'key nose switch mod' wouldn't take as much time to do.
Thanks for your reply. As I mentioned in a previous post, my car HAS the LMC5 module installed. I was advised to contact Compliance Parts so I sent an email to them. It was several days before they got around to reply to me and during that time I had a conversation with some local pickup guys about the 10 sec. msg (I live in a rural part of Florida). They told me they had the same issue with their trucks and the simple fix they use is to bypass the ign. key nose switch. This switch is activated when the key is inserted or removed, it simply reports the ign. key in/out status to the BCM.
I already had the ignition switch out to replace it with a new one even though the old one appeared to be new. It was a simple matter to insert a jumper across the nose switch terminals and try it out. This I did while waiting the several days for Compliance to get back to me.
The ign. wiring diagrams showed that this switch made a connection to ground when the key was put in the ignition. There was no current involved. While the jumper was in place I could remove the key, lock the car, and the security system worked normally. Every time I inserted the key and started it, I got NO 10 second msg, this was not the case with the key pill switch.
As far as I could tell, none of the other fixes (including the LCM5 module) involved the key nose switch as part of the solution. I went on to try the nose switch bypass with both of the ignition switches I had on the chance that one of them might be defective. No problem was found with either switch so I reinstalled the new one I bought and ran two wires from the nose switch wires to the center console and connected them to the lugs of a spst switch I installed in the left side of the storage box in the center console. I was concerned that just using a jumper on the nose switch might bite my a**s at some point and require a tow truck back to my home. If the BCM required that the nose switch be open (for whatever reason) all I had to do was move the toggle to the OPEN/off position, the nose switch circuit returned to normal operation.
All that happens when the nose switch is kept in the CLOSED position is that the key dinger rings when the ign. is turned off, and it dings faster if the headlight switch is in one of its two on positions. I can turn the car off, remove the ign. key, lock the car, and the car is secure, I don't EVER get a wait 10 sec. msg. when I return and start it. The key dinger stops whenever the door is closed.
The first repair I attempted concerned the key pill switch, I cleaned its contacts and the key pill resistor contacts(no effect). Since the keys and the pill switch were 19 years old at the time I contacted the local dealer for an estimate on a new set of keys and a pill switch. He wanted $75 for EACH new key, and $175 for a new pill switch.
Since the key pill switch was poorly designed and it and the key pill were subject to a lot of wear I could see having to replace them way too often in the future. I ohmed the pill to get its resistance value (3.1k ohms) and created a fake pill using a stack of parallel resistors from Radio Shack. After cutting the two wires for the pill circuit and then connecting them to my fake pill I could start the car every time, but the wait 10 msg. occurred often, depending on the length of time since the ign. was turned off. I decided to install the fake pill in the center console next to the 12v power socket. To return this circuit to factory condition I would have to remove the driver's knee bolster and resplice the two cut wires to their plug pigtail.
After using MY fix for several months with NO issues I am leaving it as modified. My security system works normally, and I can get in and out and NEVER get a wait 10 msg. If I think I need additional security I remove my fake pill from its socket and clip it to my key ring. Without it installed in its socket the engine will NOT start even if a key with the correct pill value is used. Its circuit can be returned to original condition easy enough. I also believe that THIS mod is NOT necessary in the case of a new pill switch and key being used. Only the nose switch mod is necessary.
I'm sorry for the long winded explanation, installing the 'key nose switch mod' wouldn't take as much time to do.
08-23-2017, 09:43 PM
#45
1/4 mile/AutoX
Welcome and Congrats from another GM Rat (Tech) and old Big Block lover, mine in a 69 Camaro !!!!!
08-26-2017, 10:55 AM
#46
Racer
Thread Starter
A question about the day light running lights melting the front reflectors and their sockets. I want to change the bulbs to LED types. I bought Sylvania 4157A bulbs and the parts stores (all of them) sell a set of (2) 6 ohm resistors to prevent 'hyper flash'. I replaced the two burned sockets with the 6 ohm resistors in series with each turn signal wire. The result with these 6 ohm resistors is still flashing too fast.
Next I went on line and found a recommendation for a resistor value of 50 watt 60 ohm resistors for these bulbs. Is this the correct value? If someone who has done this LED mod can tell me what worked for them I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks
Steve
Next I went on line and found a recommendation for a resistor value of 50 watt 60 ohm resistors for these bulbs. Is this the correct value? If someone who has done this LED mod can tell me what worked for them I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks
Steve
08-30-2017, 10:46 PM
#47
Racer
Thread Starter
I figured out the turn signal problem, the resistors the parts houses sell are 50 watt 6.7 ohms and the 1157 bulbs have a resistance of 3.3 for one filament and 4 ohms for the other. I connected the supplied resistors in parallel to get a total value of 3.3 ohms for the turn signal filament. The LED bulb has its own resistance value added to the resistor, so the T/S still flashes a little fast, but usable. If I ever go back in I will install a resistor with a lower value, to slow the flash rate even more. The LEDs are bright enough in daytime use and look brighter than the 1157 bulbs at night. I don't know why Corvette doesn't build the lens units with a reflective finish instead of a gray plastic reflector.
08-31-2017, 01:15 PM
#48
Racer
Thread Starter
Maybe the first ever radiator core cleaning
Last week I cleaned the A/C core and 1/2 of the radiator core with compressed air and a vacuum cleaner. Today I removed the fan housing to get access to the entire radiator core. The pictures only show what came out today. The concrete pad is all white, the black stuff is some of the dirt from today's cleaning. I washed the black drain pan clean, then placed it under the radiator to catch as much dirt as possible. My engine and A/C both work at cooler temps now.
The sand and grit are black in color, we don't have black sand in florida, so this accumulation was in the cores when the Doc. bought the car many years ago. The first owner only put 1600 miles on it, almost all on his private dirt road. The vacuum I used last week removed most of the organic waste picked up and a lot of black grit, It couldn't get it all. The dirt trap in the vacuum was full.
I haven't driven the car yet so I am curious to see if I get even lower operating temps after today's cleaning. I noticed a 30 F temp drop in city traffic after last weeks cleaning.
The sand and grit are black in color, we don't have black sand in florida, so this accumulation was in the cores when the Doc. bought the car many years ago. The first owner only put 1600 miles on it, almost all on his private dirt road. The vacuum I used last week removed most of the organic waste picked up and a lot of black grit, It couldn't get it all. The dirt trap in the vacuum was full.
I haven't driven the car yet so I am curious to see if I get even lower operating temps after today's cleaning. I noticed a 30 F temp drop in city traffic after last weeks cleaning.
Last edited by sjhanc; 08-31-2017 at 08:40 PM.
08-31-2017, 04:27 PM
#49
Racer
Thread Starter
Test drive, left the house with the ambient temp at 98F, engine temp rose to 178F after ten miles. In town, heavy clouds moving in, 187F dropping to 178 on a steady 45 mph road. Rain started, turned onto a 65 mph 4 lane, temp dropped to 175F in steady rain. Hail began, headed back to the house in a downpour, had to slow to 35 mph to see. Turned the defroster on, temp dropped to 170F. 3 inches of water on the streets, new Cooper tires handle the wet roads just fine at any speeds.
I believe that cleaning the radiator core is worth the effort.
I believe that cleaning the radiator core is worth the effort.
09-15-2017, 09:43 PM
#50
Racer
Thread Starter
After a close miss by Hurricane Irma I uncovered the Vette to check for damage. The left side of the hatch near the left fender has a void in the clearcoat caused probably by the wind blown cover beating on the paint. Also, the wind somehow blew water into the Targa top's frame. None got on the interior until I drove the car, then it poured out into my lap when I made a turn. I removed the top and drained the water out, I just can't understand how it got in there, the top doesn't leak unless the weatherstrip is out of place.
When I first got the car the top would leak a few drops in a hard rain while driving, but it never got past the car cover before. The noise the cover was making when the storm was at its worst was terrible, I was afraid it would shred and blow away. The local weather report said we got 50 mph winds but there were gusts much stonger than that. I can be thankful that the damage was not worse, when the wind blew the trees down on the power grid Saturday night the electric power failed and somehow took out my PC's monitor. The power came back on Thursday, thats when my monitor failed to turn on.
One temporary effect was my turn signals didn't work for a few minutes, now they are okay. At least I don't have any flooding where I live, but the roads I normally use are under deep water at least for a few more days. Now I can get ready for the next storm they say might be headed my way.
I suppose I could move to earthquake country.
When I first got the car the top would leak a few drops in a hard rain while driving, but it never got past the car cover before. The noise the cover was making when the storm was at its worst was terrible, I was afraid it would shred and blow away. The local weather report said we got 50 mph winds but there were gusts much stonger than that. I can be thankful that the damage was not worse, when the wind blew the trees down on the power grid Saturday night the electric power failed and somehow took out my PC's monitor. The power came back on Thursday, thats when my monitor failed to turn on.
One temporary effect was my turn signals didn't work for a few minutes, now they are okay. At least I don't have any flooding where I live, but the roads I normally use are under deep water at least for a few more days. Now I can get ready for the next storm they say might be headed my way.
I suppose I could move to earthquake country.
09-27-2017, 05:04 AM
#51
Racer
Thread Starter
A couple of pictures from the Vette Set car show in Gainesville Fl. Sep 23. I enter these shows to be able to park with all of these nice cars. I can roam around and see a lot of neat stuff. My car somehow got a Best of Show in Class for factory stock. Probably not a big deal for most Vette owners but for me it is the first ever win in a car show. When I was a lot younger and deep into racing we said 'If it don't go fast, chrome it'. My friend Danny and I raced a 67 Camaro in E/ss and won our class frequently, during one month's racing we won 5 times and got protested and torn down for inspection once. I remember the NHRA guys laughing when they got into the 350 because it was so obvious that the engine was bone stock, never dissasembled before. Even later when we began to put better parts in the motor and car we kept it legal for street stock.
Now I have a foot problem that prevents me from driving cars with a clutch any more, so after 55 years of manual transmissions I have to buy cars with automatic transmissions. It is a minor inconvenience, I still get to enjoy playing with fast toys.
I did spend a lot of time detailing the Vette during the last month. One good thing about entering car shows is that the money spent on the car for whatever it needs goes home with me. When I raced I shoveled money at it and many times it disappeared when the new parts wore out or broke, sometimes not lasting a day. That didn't matter much, I loved racing and I spent a lot of my time making the stock factory parts work better.
A typical weekend started Friday after work. I would work all night building engines or transmissions, quit Saturday afternoon to head out to the stock car track to drive an old Chevy in 2 heat races and a feature race, Danny would pick me up at the track after my last race and we went north with the Camaro on the trailer to drag strips in S. Florida to race in the Sunday finals. He drove the Camaro and I tuned it and fixed what broke. If we didn't go to a track, we raced in street races on Cudjoe Key early Sunday mornings. Later after I bought the 67 Vette I used it to tow the trailer with the Camaro on it to the Street races. Once the Camaro burned its clutch on the first burnout so I raced the Vette against a 429 Ford. The ford guy thought he was wasting time racing the 327 Vette so I backed up 3 car lengths to give him a head start. Listening to the open headers must have rattled him, he went up in smoke when the flag dropped and I drove past for the win. After that, every time I saw him he wanted me to quit my team and work on his ford. The good old days.
Now I have a foot problem that prevents me from driving cars with a clutch any more, so after 55 years of manual transmissions I have to buy cars with automatic transmissions. It is a minor inconvenience, I still get to enjoy playing with fast toys.
I did spend a lot of time detailing the Vette during the last month. One good thing about entering car shows is that the money spent on the car for whatever it needs goes home with me. When I raced I shoveled money at it and many times it disappeared when the new parts wore out or broke, sometimes not lasting a day. That didn't matter much, I loved racing and I spent a lot of my time making the stock factory parts work better.
A typical weekend started Friday after work. I would work all night building engines or transmissions, quit Saturday afternoon to head out to the stock car track to drive an old Chevy in 2 heat races and a feature race, Danny would pick me up at the track after my last race and we went north with the Camaro on the trailer to drag strips in S. Florida to race in the Sunday finals. He drove the Camaro and I tuned it and fixed what broke. If we didn't go to a track, we raced in street races on Cudjoe Key early Sunday mornings. Later after I bought the 67 Vette I used it to tow the trailer with the Camaro on it to the Street races. Once the Camaro burned its clutch on the first burnout so I raced the Vette against a 429 Ford. The ford guy thought he was wasting time racing the 327 Vette so I backed up 3 car lengths to give him a head start. Listening to the open headers must have rattled him, he went up in smoke when the flag dropped and I drove past for the win. After that, every time I saw him he wanted me to quit my team and work on his ford. The good old days.
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RXTbone (06-10-2020)
09-28-2017, 07:46 AM
#52
Le Mans Master
Pro Mechanic
Congrats! And welcome to the asylum...
09-28-2017, 10:05 AM
#53
Racer
Hi, I have just bought a Red 98 C5 from my Doctor, it is a very nice ride, just needs a little TLC. Mechanically it seem to be very well maintained but was in everyday use by the Doc for his commute so has 140,000 miles and some upholstery wear on the driver' seat. I plan to restore it where necessary and detail it, (I have always been obsessive about keeping my rides super clean). When I finish most of the restoration work I plan to have it repainted in the beautiful Red it is in now. The original paint is still very shiny but has stone chips and bug damage in the front and several minor paint scrapes in the corners. I don't have pictures yet but will post some soon. I spent a considerable part of my life as an ASE Master Mechanic working on customers Vettes in several Florida Chevy dealerships and was also employed in their truck shops doing warranty work on motor homes. This last part eventually caused back problems that forced me to retire and lay off of the heavy work during 1999.
I got my first experience on Vettes by building racing engines, T10 and Muncie 4 speeds and differential gears for others and generally fixing everything that needed it on my own personal Vettes. Before that I built Chevy and Plymouth racing engines for cars, boats (inboard), and motorcycles. My service career was Helicopter mechanic/doorgunner in the First CAV DIV (Vietnam 67-68) then finished my last two years of my enlistment as Aircraft Technical Inspector. I went on to work for Bell Helicopter Textron overseas as a Senior Aircraft line Technician, then back to Florida to work for Chevy dealers when my wife met the Service manager for Harber Chevrolet in church. When He asked her what I did for a living (I worked in the Chrysler Plymouth service Dep.) and she told him that my hobby was racing Corvettes he offered me a job with his shop as none of his current mechanics even wanted to touch a Vette.
Funny thing was, after I started working on Vettes for a living, I no longer wanted to do the same thing for a hobby.
I sold the Vettes, we got a friendly (?) divorce and went our separate ways. I never lost my enthusiasm for Corvettes though and when my Doc suggested I buy his for a very low price I jumped on it. I think he new I would take good care of his baby.
Before joining this forum I had looked for solutions to Vette problems here several times but was dismayed to see the amount of trolling going on. It seems to be important to not make your opinions known about Vette issues or they will jump on you with both feet to discredit you. I am forwarned and will only use PM to answer Technical questions if it is something I have personal experience with. And I never make a guess about tech issues, only refer to what I can find in publications.
I got my first experience on Vettes by building racing engines, T10 and Muncie 4 speeds and differential gears for others and generally fixing everything that needed it on my own personal Vettes. Before that I built Chevy and Plymouth racing engines for cars, boats (inboard), and motorcycles. My service career was Helicopter mechanic/doorgunner in the First CAV DIV (Vietnam 67-68) then finished my last two years of my enlistment as Aircraft Technical Inspector. I went on to work for Bell Helicopter Textron overseas as a Senior Aircraft line Technician, then back to Florida to work for Chevy dealers when my wife met the Service manager for Harber Chevrolet in church. When He asked her what I did for a living (I worked in the Chrysler Plymouth service Dep.) and she told him that my hobby was racing Corvettes he offered me a job with his shop as none of his current mechanics even wanted to touch a Vette.
Funny thing was, after I started working on Vettes for a living, I no longer wanted to do the same thing for a hobby.
I sold the Vettes, we got a friendly (?) divorce and went our separate ways. I never lost my enthusiasm for Corvettes though and when my Doc suggested I buy his for a very low price I jumped on it. I think he new I would take good care of his baby.
Before joining this forum I had looked for solutions to Vette problems here several times but was dismayed to see the amount of trolling going on. It seems to be important to not make your opinions known about Vette issues or they will jump on you with both feet to discredit you. I am forwarned and will only use PM to answer Technical questions if it is something I have personal experience with. And I never make a guess about tech issues, only refer to what I can find in publications.
I am sure that when I have a tech question, I will most likely reach out to the General or Teck tabs to get answers.
So with that said, keep an eye open, there are many of us just jooking for sound avice.
CPO Rob
09-28-2017, 10:07 AM
#54
Racer
The attached '98 owner's manual recommends 91 octane --
ethanol is not a problem if compliant with the spec.
http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...98corvette.pdf
from pages 6-3 & 6-4 from the above:
"Use premium unleaded gasoline rated at 91 octane or
higher for best performance. el. In addition, gasolines containing oxygenates, such as ethers and ethanol, and
reformulated gasolines may be available in your area to
help clean the air. General Motors recommends that you
use these gasolines if they comply with the
specifications described earlier. "
My 2003 has always been fed a diet of Shell 93 octane w/ ethanol and runs fine.
Almost forgot -- welcome to the forum and good luck with the new toy.
ethanol is not a problem if compliant with the spec.
http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...98corvette.pdf
from pages 6-3 & 6-4 from the above:
"Use premium unleaded gasoline rated at 91 octane or
higher for best performance. el. In addition, gasolines containing oxygenates, such as ethers and ethanol, and
reformulated gasolines may be available in your area to
help clean the air. General Motors recommends that you
use these gasolines if they comply with the
specifications described earlier. "
My 2003 has always been fed a diet of Shell 93 octane w/ ethanol and runs fine.
Almost forgot -- welcome to the forum and good luck with the new toy.
09-28-2017, 10:08 AM
#55
Racer
Very nice indeed!
09-30-2017, 08:03 AM
#56
Racer
Thread Starter
I have a question for the HVAC experts, my dual zone ac controller works fine, my problem is the plastic outer cover is flaking off of the face plate and the buttons allowing the light through in several places. Is it possible to buy a replacement front panel to fix this?
I have up loaded 2 pictures taken by my brother ED at the recent Vette SET of Gainesville- Davis Chevrolet car show. I have to give Meguiar's products credit for the improvement of the shine on my paint. Except for the hood (bought used) the paint is 95% original factory. The car has not had a water and soap wash since April 17 after I began using Meguiar's Waterless wash and wax for daily cleaning.
I was able to shine up the original paint after touching up with Duplicolor Torch Red by block sanding with 2500 grit wet paper, then polishing to the shine you see with Meguiar's X2.0 polish. This product removes the swirl marks, leaving an almost mirror finish. The bug damage to the finish on the front bumper cover is bad enough to need repainting but the polishing I was able to do made the scratches and bug impacts almost invisible to the eye.
To see the touch ups you have to see it in bright sunlight and look at just the right angle to the paint surface from less than 3 feet. This will do for me until I can find a Bumper cover with better paint. The license plate cover had deep stone chip and bug damage, I repainted it also.
I bought aftermarket hood badges to replace the originals which were breaking up and falling off, I can't recommend them as the new badges were sun damaged within days of installing them. They look terrible up close and I am still looking for a solution to this. The soft covering on their flags turned cloudy and began cracking before the first wash. Now they are curling up and I expect the decals to blow off at any time.
I have up loaded 2 pictures taken by my brother ED at the recent Vette SET of Gainesville- Davis Chevrolet car show. I have to give Meguiar's products credit for the improvement of the shine on my paint. Except for the hood (bought used) the paint is 95% original factory. The car has not had a water and soap wash since April 17 after I began using Meguiar's Waterless wash and wax for daily cleaning.
I was able to shine up the original paint after touching up with Duplicolor Torch Red by block sanding with 2500 grit wet paper, then polishing to the shine you see with Meguiar's X2.0 polish. This product removes the swirl marks, leaving an almost mirror finish. The bug damage to the finish on the front bumper cover is bad enough to need repainting but the polishing I was able to do made the scratches and bug impacts almost invisible to the eye.
To see the touch ups you have to see it in bright sunlight and look at just the right angle to the paint surface from less than 3 feet. This will do for me until I can find a Bumper cover with better paint. The license plate cover had deep stone chip and bug damage, I repainted it also.
I bought aftermarket hood badges to replace the originals which were breaking up and falling off, I can't recommend them as the new badges were sun damaged within days of installing them. They look terrible up close and I am still looking for a solution to this. The soft covering on their flags turned cloudy and began cracking before the first wash. Now they are curling up and I expect the decals to blow off at any time.
09-30-2017, 08:28 AM
#57
Race Director
Member Since: Jul 2007
Location: Arlington Hts, IL
Posts: 15,897
Received 1,090 Likes
on
797 Posts
St. Jude Donor '13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-'20-'21-'22-'23-'24
Dang, you have certainly been kept busy by your car! But, it appears to have certainly paid off by the pictures.
Great read, thanks!
Great read, thanks!
09-30-2017, 04:10 PM
#58
Racer
Thread Starter
Here is a picture of the HVAC faceplate showing the plastic cover flaking off. When I bought the car, only the outside air button had visible damage at that time. Since then several other large and small chips have fallen off. I need to know if the faceplate can be replaced by itself or if the only course of action is to buy another control unit. The worst or largest damage is the top edge from the left bright spot over to the right bright spot. Those two bright spots are not supposed to be there along with the spot on the outside/recirculate air buttons below the display. This last bright spot is annoying at night, it shines in my eyes.
The unit works fine, only the display is dim during daylight. I believe that this damage is the result of the former owners pounding on the face plate trying to get the ac to work right, which it did after I replaced the r/h blend door actuator. When I had the controller out I noticed several small cracks so I handled it carefully but the damage was already done.
The unit works fine, only the display is dim during daylight. I believe that this damage is the result of the former owners pounding on the face plate trying to get the ac to work right, which it did after I replaced the r/h blend door actuator. When I had the controller out I noticed several small cracks so I handled it carefully but the damage was already done.
Last edited by sjhanc; 09-30-2017 at 04:10 PM.
11-12-2017, 06:58 PM
#59
Racer
Thread Starter
I am in the process of doing a brake upgrade, new cross drilled, grooved rotors with ceramic pads, complete fluid change and bleed. I only needed rotors but the offer for better parts at about the same price as oem led to the decision to upgrade.
The car has 149,000 miles now, and runs better as time goes on! On inspection of the engine compartment I noticed cracks in the rubber material of the harmonic balancer, I guess that will be the next project. I don't like to revisit areas that I have made repairs to, so I will change the waterpump, belts, tensioners and bearings, and remove the radiator core to do a complete cleaning of it and the AC condenser core. I want to also install a transmission cooler, during the FLA summer the transmission temp gets pretty high during city traffic driving.
Is changing the timing chain and sprockets recommended for high mileage LS1 engines?
The car has 149,000 miles now, and runs better as time goes on! On inspection of the engine compartment I noticed cracks in the rubber material of the harmonic balancer, I guess that will be the next project. I don't like to revisit areas that I have made repairs to, so I will change the waterpump, belts, tensioners and bearings, and remove the radiator core to do a complete cleaning of it and the AC condenser core. I want to also install a transmission cooler, during the FLA summer the transmission temp gets pretty high during city traffic driving.
Is changing the timing chain and sprockets recommended for high mileage LS1 engines?
Last edited by sjhanc; 11-12-2017 at 07:00 PM.
