Here's a lousy picture of a vacuum T from my 69. I broke this T and repaired it with super glue. Can't find it in Dr. Rebuild's catalog. The only reference in the AIM says "part of hose assy". It's not identified separately. It's an odd size....2 big ends....one very small end. I think the small vacuum take off goes to the tach solenoid, but again, that page in my AIM is a lousy copy. Anybody know a source for one of these little dudes? Chuck



[Modified by Chuck Gongloff, 10:39 AM 3/2/2002]

 

Chuck, did ya try The Last Detail ? I've heard they have an excellent product line. Does GM still make??

 

Where is that?? (I gather it is connecting 2 large yellow stripe hoses, and sucking air from the little opening?) The hose kits come with all the connecting t's, but I dont know if they are available seperately. MJ

 

Chuck... The "help" rack at most Auto zones /Pep Boys, etc should have those. The one's around here have a Gazillion tee's and fittings.

 

The fitting lays above the PB booster on my 69. My 69 has the vacuum relay on the firewall, not under the right fender. I've tried all the PEP Boys, Salvo, AutoZone, etc. places as well as my regular parts place. Nobody has one of that configuration. Closest I could come was one configured 90 degrees different. Chuck

 

Chuck et al,
I broke mine also and the wiper door will not work at all now so I think you are dead on where it goes. Since its broke, does your wiper door work with the wiper switch or the overide? I noticed that the 'T' is some type of check valve in that the flow only goes one way into the large diameter bottom of the 'T' and out to the smaller diameter tops of the 'T'. In other words, vacuum can flow from one side of the T to the other but not from the sides of the T down to the bottom. If you blow into it, you'll see what I mean. I'm definitely interested in why this is and where I can get one since I haven't been able to find a suitable replacement either. And inspection time's coming on fast! :eek:

 

The "T" on my car is strictly a "T". It has no one way valves, etc. You can blow in any of the 3 holes, and air comes out the other 2...any direction. I got the car running yesterday, still on jackstands. Let it run for a few minutes. Checked the headlight and wiper door operation and both work, using the "regular" switches, not the over-rides. I didn't try to see if the wiper door wouldn't work without the connection, as I had repaired it with superglue, and didn't want to "mess" with my repair. I know the superglue isn't a long term cure, that's why I want a new one. Chuck

 

Chuck, I know exactly what you are talking about. Having had several sharks, this little sucker is a 1 of kind. I have never seen anything or anyone re-pop it. Try and salvage yours or good luck at the vette junk yards! Thad

 

Chuck, just wondering, is one of the 3 openings (the little one) on the "T" not attached to a hose? Doesn't that create a vacuum leak ? MJ

 

Please let me know where you do find one. mine is repaired with super Glue also. luckily its been holding for over a year, but i also know that it is temporary. i sure hope you find some!!

 

The little hose in the pic should be connected to the little nipple on the "T", otherwise there would be a leak. I left it off for the picture. I would guess the big yellow stripe hose is about 3/16 ID. I would also guess that the small hose is about 1/8 or even smaller. I've hooked up the hose, but my superglue repair may not last. Chuck

 

Chuck I posted the picture up on http://www.vetteheads.com for you.

 

About a hundred years ago when working on a thesis research project, I used some hobby shop materials to cast some perfect replicas of a gas turbine compressor blade. If you have ever seen an axial flow compressor blade, you know they are a fine piece of maching art: the "lean", "twist", "camber", and thickness distribution HAS to be right, as well as the surface smoothness. Small compressor blades lead to the invention of EDM machining; an error of a few thousandths will knock gas turbine performance in the dirt.

For my replica blades, I used an original blade to make a mold of catalyzed silicone rubber, and then by cast the replicas in catalyzed plastic resin. I don't know if such materials are even still available, but if it they were, and I couldn't find a repro, I believe I might try to do this vacuum fitting the same way.

I even had to embed some 1/16" diameter (dam small) brass tubes in the replicas for dye injection, and drilled some tiny little "ports" from the blade surface to the embedded dye supply tube. For the ports, I used a "numbered" drill, and had to hit the supply tube dead center and drill very carefully, or the part would be ruined. I also had to grind the base of the blade replicas perfectly flat and at the proper angle for correct "lean", and then drill and tap the bases for #6 machine screws in two locations to match the mounting holes. How in the hell did I ever do that in time enough to graduate? :confused:

Drilling the "tee fitting" passages would be a "cake walk" compared to what I had to do before. The key to the project would be finding a plastic resin with enough strength to stand up to underhood abuse. Polyester resin with some finely chopped fiberglass fibers might even work. You would have to add some colorant for the desired color.

There seems to be a market; I would make several of them and sell them for about $20 a pop. Maybe that would help recover the cost of the materials, i.e. not cheep. :D :D



[Modified by Chuck Sangerhausen, 9:54 AM 1/18/2002]

 

Chuck - You may have the idea to fix the one you have now. You could drill the pieces out and glue a metal tube with the same ID (like a roll pin) between the two pieces for stability. With superglue, I would think it would be stronger than new. Just an idea - Mark

 

Don't think I have the patience to try to cast this piece. I'm going to keep my superglue repair. If/when it fails, I might try the roll pin trick. I have learned via E Mail that this take off is for the heater/defroster "flappers" that work off the controls in the console. So...it's not the tach solenoid take-off. Guess I'll try the heater/defroster. :) I'm going to keep looking for another....identical..or something similar that would work. Chuck

 

Chuck, it's kind of a long shot, but the GM dealer has what they call general parts inventory. Tate Chevy in Annapolis has a big drawer with lots of cubbies with all sorts of vacuum fittings. They don't come up in the computer when you're searching by car year. I don't recall specifically seeing one like that, but when I was looking for some vacuum fittings for my C4 one day (on a discontinued piece!) they broke out "THE DRAWER" for me. :D

 

As I was going through my parts bin last night I saw a vacumn hose kit from Zip that has this "T" connector in it ... it was the A/C vac hose kit form Zip.

 

Chuck,
You might try one of the salvage yards. Contemporary Corvette is not to far from you. It might be worth the call.
Ed

 

This is a long shot, but you might try pet stores or aquarium supply stores, I vaguely remember looking around in one and wondering why it took so many different type of hose fittings just to filter and aerate an aquarium.
Another place to look might be places that specialize in drip irrigation for greenhouses and gardens. My Dad used to have an extensive setup of drip irrigation hoses in his garden, he used many types and sizes of Tee's and other fittings.
I know you are looking for and exact or nearly exact duplicate, you might have to duplicate it yourself out of some sort of castable plastic. A solid reproduction wouldn't be too hard to produce, then you'd have to drill it out (carefully.)

 

Thanks for the additional tips. Will try ZIP. Haven't made it up to Contemporary Corvette, but I know it's outside of Philly...about a 1 1/2 hour drive for me. Aquarium store is also a great suggestion. My superglue still hasn't broken :) Chuck