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So, I recently sold the E-Type, and contrary to the standard, I actually made money on it, even with all the debacles I encountered. Those debacles (untrustworthy body shops, half assed repairs when people don't know the car) lead me to buy something more well known. Something with more, more, well I don't know, but it's a '63 Corvette. So from '67 E-Type, to '63 Corvette.    Originally it was a 327 Fuelie with a 2spd powerglide, but I bought it NOM, because I want to drive and enjoy, not sit and stare. It's apparently got a 350ci/350HP with a 4Spd manual, and a nice cruising 3.08 rear gear. The holley carb on it, is finicky, and with how easy EFI is with things like the Holley Stealth Sniper, I think I'm going to do that to it in the near future, because the S/O complains of the gassy smell after it gets driven, and apparently EFI helps out a lot with that (plus some more power and better drivability won't be bad). Also planning on ditching the non-power drums up front for some non-power discs. The tach is a bit jumpy - I suspect the cable is just binding. I need to fix that, and likely will when doing the EFI conversion. The nice thing, is I've already driven this more than I ever drove the E-Type. It starts every time, and once warm, isn't too fussy. Eventually, I'd like to put something with a bit more grunt, but nothing over the 650HP maxout of the EFI unit I'm looking at - maybe a 427 or something similar, along with a TKO-600. So far, I've fixed the headlights, and put in a working stereo, and just by putting some mileage on it, the odometer and trip meter are working.
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Oct 10, 2020 04:59
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I can't imagine a tach is cable driven. Usually they're pretty simple, I've not seen one go weird like that, but what do I know. Nice score, though, '63 is my favorite year with those inverse-conical gauges and vertical stereo and all that. Too bad it's a drop top and not a splittie. Looking forward to see what you do with it! Just a cruiser?
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Oct 10, 2020 05:45
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Raluek posted:I can't imagine a tach is cable driven. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=cable+drive+tachometer&_sop=12 I havent seen one personally for yeeeeeeeeears but yep, def used to be cable driven tachs
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Oct 10, 2020 11:03
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CAT INTERCEPTOR posted:https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=cable+drive+tachometer&_sop=12 wow, learn something new every day. even my '60 has an electronic tach, but i suppose it was put in sometime in the 70s so thats another ball game entirely
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Oct 10, 2020 12:04
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Greetings fellow midyear owner! I've got a '66 convertible with the original 327/300 and a 5 speed from what is now Silver Sport Transmissions. They have a few options that don't require any cutting of the tunnel or crossmembers...that's what sold me on the RS500 (it's been renamed to something else since the company sale). You're probably right about the tach cable. See if there's a sharp bend somewhere...if not it might just need to be lubed or replaced. When (not if) your odometers act up, it's almost certainly the plastic worm gear inside. Keep in mind the speedo and tach are magnetically driven, not mechanical (pretty sure they're like mine). So a little bounce is normal. For the gas smell...there are a LOT of places that could be coming from. Don't be crazy and get a non-vented gas cap. That's not your problem and it will absolutely ruin your day later. Common places the smell might be coming from are a thin paper gasket on top of the gas tank. The gas nozzle opening is a separate piece from the tank, and the gasket is between them. Any seepage at the bottom of the tank, at the fuel pump, or at the carb will do it, too. It takes hardly anything for you to smell it. And of course, a little bit of gas smell is pretty normal. But usually that's not enough to make someone complain, so I'd double check at all the fittings. I don't know if your main fuel line is one piece or not, 63-64 is different from mine. You might have a connection in the middle of the car that you probably can't get to. Pretty sure the early C2s had the fuel line on top of the frame, which was a horrible decision GM fixed for 65 or so. Make sure the venturis aren't seeping after shutdown, too. John Hinkley recommended these guys to rebuild my carb after chasing my tail with multiple shops and trying to do it myself. They're the only place I'll ever go again. When you dig into the brakes, I strongly recommend upgrading the master cylinder to the 1967 style. The dual reservoir is much safer, and it's actually not too bad a job. There are a couple of kits out there for $300-400, and I installed one this summer. Your biggest problem will definitely be running a new main fuel line, but I'm pretty sure there are ways to mount it along the side of the frame rail instead of on top. What are those wheels? Godholio fucked around with this message at 21:06 on Oct 10, 2020 |
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Oct 10, 2020 21:02
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Luckily the master is currently a dual reservoir, so it has been upgraded, but when I switch to discs up front, it'll need re-biasing, so I'll probably need to get another anyway. I was looking at replacement carbs that are apparently less finicky (everyone I've talked to says it's notorious for holleys to be a bit finicky), but when comparing pricing, it just didn't make sense with the sniper stealth being so close in price, so I figure 2 birds one stone. That said, I have rebuilt carbs before, but only SU carbs, and American carbs are a bit different; again, EFI resolves this. I figure lubing the cable will probably resolve the tach jumpiness, but we shall see. I'm sure the EFI conversion will result in a lot of things being uncovered, but I'll cross those bridges when I get there. I honestly don't know what the wheels are. There will be a good amount of discovery going on with the EFI conversion, as I've got some documentation on the car that says it's got a 302DZ from a 69 Z28, then the word of mouth from the PO who said it was a 350/350, but he didn't replace the engine, and has no documentation on it. I haven't bothered to check stamping yet, figure I'll do that with the EFI conversion.
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Oct 11, 2020 00:15
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Yeah, I'd take a quick picture of whatever stampings or other markings you happen across as you dig in. You can figure out the original colors from the trim tag under the glove box next to the VIN. Other than that, there's no factory documentation or way to look things up. Chevy didn't start shoving build sheets on top of the gas tank until 67.
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Oct 11, 2020 03:01
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I was just wondering what ever happened to the Jag. Trading something you aren't getting joy out of for something you are is a great move, and a move I've considered many times. That Corvette looks great and the thought of going with EFI is a great one too, for the same reason you got it in the first place. Looking forward to that upgrade and the beauty shots along the way!
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Oct 11, 2020 23:24
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Raluek posted:wow, learn something new every day. even my '60 has an electronic tach, but i suppose it was put in sometime in the 70s so thats another ball game entirely Corvettes seem to have been a strange holdover on them for some reason, even into the C3s. Engine-wise I'd stick with a small block or LS ALL THE THINGS. There's no reason you can't hit any power number you're looking for with a smallblock with modern heads / intake / cam.
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Oct 12, 2020 08:31
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StormDrain posted:I was just wondering what ever happened to the Jag. Trading something you aren't getting joy out of for something you are is a great move, and a move I've considered many times. That Corvette looks great and the thought of going with EFI is a great one too, for the same reason you got it in the first place. Looking forward to that upgrade and the beauty shots along the way! The jag was sold to a shop that specializes in restoring them. As corny as it sounds, given the great shape the body and wiring was in, I wanted to be sure it'd be restored up properly. It's apparently already got a buyer back where it came from, so it'll be getting shipped overseas, and going back to it's homeland.
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Oct 12, 2020 20:07
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So it definitely is a 350. Sniper Stealth is on, but the throttle is a bit stiff - I've got the little bracket ordered that supposedly fixes this issue by increasing the mechanical advantage a bit. Front brakes are now Wilwood Discs, so it actually stops decently now. Once I get the bracket on there, it'll be time to think about a meaner cam and a set of heads, and nicer radiator. We also happen to have picked up a '79 911 Turbo, but that's not really a project - it runs and is fine as is, and has been noticeably modified (intercooler isn't stock, pushes 1.2Bar instead of stock .8, and I believe the turbo is not the stock one). Now I know why turbos got that reputation for lag, but when it hits it's definitely an event - the whole demeanor of the car changes like an on/off switch.
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Apr 20, 2021 05:47
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So the throttle in the sniper was extremely stiff, and made for leaving from a stop either a set of tracks or a stall out, and despite my best attempts to wrangle that and get used to it, I just don't have the fine motor control in my leg for it - injury from a long time ago. Basically it took a good amount of push to get it to move off closed, and that amount was close enough to the effort needed for 20% throttle that I couldn't get it to do less than 20%. Luckily, they apparently know it's an issue and make a throttle extension. Finally got that today, and it's a world of difference - it feels like a normal pedal now. Coolant temp sensor apparently got disconnected while I wasn't paying attention to the readout, which made it run extra rich. So rich, that upon hot start, it wouldn't start unless I put the pedal to the floor. Figured that out, it's good and snug now, and all seems well.
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May 11, 2021 04:08
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Way2slow posted:So the throttle in the sniper was extremely stiff, and made for leaving from a stop either a set of tracks or a stall out, and despite my best attempts to wrangle that and get used to it, I just don't have the fine motor control in my leg for it - injury from a long time ago. Basically it took a good amount of push to get it to move off closed, and that amount was close enough to the effort needed for 20% throttle that I couldn't get it to do less than 20%. But it wasn't. Apparently that connector which I had plugged in had no retaining clip holding it in the sensor, so it just popped out on the next drive. So I figured, well, I'll heat shrink it in place. Bad idea. It held longer, but it was popping out because the wire was a bit tight (despite the line being slack, not taut at all), and now with heat shrink holding the connector in, the wire pulled out from the connector. Which with heat shrink over it all, made it a bitch to remove. Ended up cutting off the connector, soldering in one with a clip that fit, and had to replace the temperature sender because it was still holding the empty connector in it with heat shrink that was nigh impossible to remove. Had a giant mess of condor coolaid in the garage as a result of that - thought I was gonna be able to swap the coolant sensor without losing too much coolant, but the drat thing would not find the right angle to thread until it had no more green blood to spill. All should be proper now, as I did it the right way, rather than the half assed way. Lesson in life, that I seem to never abide by (2x in this incident alone), is do it right, even if you think you will be able to half rear end it and get away with it.
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May 21, 2021 04:32
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The counterpoint is that while-I'm-at-it-itis is a great way for a vehicle to remain stationary forever.
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May 21, 2021 05:02
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The old ram's horn exhaust manifold on the driver side decided it was going to have a breakdown, and it cracked up a bit. So of course, it's time for headers!  I think I'm also gonna throw a Wide Ratio TKX in this thing, along with the previous plan of heads, cam and radiator. Way2slow fucked around with this message at 06:10 on Jul 20, 2021 |
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Jul 20, 2021 02:43
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Was fortunate enough to get to ride around in this yesterday with Way2slow, the car has a commanding presence. I cannot wait to see how things work out with the new motor and trans!
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Sep 28, 2021 03:06
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So I went ahead and ordered everything I need to swap in the wide ratio Tremec TKX, and a 396 SBC from Blueprint. The TKX was ordered at the beginning of August, and still hasn't shipped from Tremec. The engine was ordered at the end of August, and it showed up today. Engine dyno sheet. 
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Oct 7, 2021 02:40
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Looking forward to seeing you do a burnout at 100 mph in top gear with that beast of an engine.
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Oct 7, 2021 05:02
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 good lord
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Oct 8, 2021 03:35
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So, the TKX is still being waited on before I proceed. Fully ordered and paid for, just according to the sales guy, hasn't left from Tremec to come to them yet. Anyone have any connects at Tremec that might know if this is actually a Tremec issue or a issue with the place I bought it from?
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Nov 14, 2021 22:30
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That's a lot of power for a 60s car with presumably drum brakes, holy poo poo.
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Nov 15, 2021 12:17
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I think Corvettes have been standard 4 wheel disc since 62 or 63.
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Nov 15, 2021 12:26
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I dun did a re-read because my stupid eyes missed it.Way2slow posted:Also planning on ditching the non-power drums up front for some non-power discs. Bravery. Way2slow posted:Front brakes are now Wilwood Discs, so it actually stops decently now. Hooray!
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Nov 15, 2021 12:37
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Well, guess I'm wrong about that.
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Nov 15, 2021 16:35
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wesleywillis posted:I think Corvettes have been standard 4 wheel disc since 62 or 63. 65, though you get downgrade to drums for a credit.
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Nov 16, 2021 03:21
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Godholio posted:65, though you get downgrade to drums for a credit. This is like me trying to game the dell customization game to get a $5 pc.
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Mar 17, 2022 03:29
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We've got a new engine in there. Plus a wide ratio TKX. When I got it back, it was running a bit on the hotter side, and that was caused by timing being off from the install, so I went ahead and put in the hyperspark dizzy and rest of the setup, which meant the stock tach is lost. Also slapped in a better electric puller fan. On a hot day it sits about 198 idling now. When it got a bit warmer though, it melted the speedo cable a bit... so I've got no speedo too. So in the meantime, I put in a temporary tach, which works, but is only temporary, and use that to guesstimate my speed given the gear I'm in. ~1500RPM in 5th = 50mph. Idles great, and now full adjustment over the spark curve is available. I ordered a Dakota Digital dash for it, since the speedo and tach were always a bit bouncy. Once that is in, they should be nice and crisp. Lead time on that is 6 months, 2 of which have already passed. I've got to tune it a bit more, but it actually has some gusto to it now.
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Aug 26, 2022 01:42
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modern crate motor, check. tkx five speed that fits where a four speed will, awesome. but please tell me you aren't getting rid of one of the coolest factory gauge panels! maybe it's just an electronic drive unit for the factory gauges or something... 
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Aug 27, 2022 09:48
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Raluek posted:modern crate motor, check. tkx five speed that fits where a four speed will, awesome. but please tell me you aren't getting rid of one of the coolest factory gauge panels! maybe it's just an electronic drive unit for the factory gauges or something... Dakota digital makes a nice dash that fits in place, and retains the stock look as far as I can tell.  https://www.dakotadigital.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=1249/category_id=427/mode=prod/prd1249.htm
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Aug 28, 2022 00:25
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Yeah, Dakota has come a long way from their LED nightmares. If their current gauge setup for the C10 had existed 15 years ago, I would have gone with it instead of a stack of Autometers.
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Aug 28, 2022 00:30
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well i still don't like it, because any change from the factory perfection is automatically bad (lol), but yeah i was indeed imagining the "led nightmare".
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Aug 28, 2022 09:17
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There are aftermarket HEI distributors that have the tach-drive connection. I'm not some anti-Dakota purist, but you've got a couple of options. Edit: Whoops, I didn't see that you already ordered the gauges. I'd like to see how they really look installed.
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Aug 29, 2022 16:59
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Godholio posted:There are aftermarket HEI distributors that have the tach-drive connection. I'm not some anti-Dakota purist, but you've got a couple of options. There are, but I don't think they offer the hyperspark distributor in that config. Using the whole hyperspark setup with the sniper really ties it all together like a nice rug. I'll have to pop onto the laptop and get some snaps of the spark table etc. Giving the sniper the timing control really helped with getting the idle and takeoff to be much more controlled. Although it does not have a knock sensor, I can pull timing and adjust fueling based on coolant temp or intake temp, which is nice for that safety factor, but right now running some higher octane juice to avoid run on with the new motor, I don't think I'll be running into too much knock. Way2slow fucked around with this message at 22:17 on Aug 29, 2022 |
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Aug 29, 2022 22:07
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Gauges are in! Speedo is off by a hair, need some more adjustment to get it right, but having working gauges that don't bounce back and forth like a troubled child on crack is a nice thing. The little LCD beneath the speedo and tach can be adjusted to display a whole bunch of different values. It's pretty neat. 
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Dec 11, 2022 03:51
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Way2slow posted:Gauges are in! That is really slick. Nobody is going to casually notice that it's not stock.
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Dec 11, 2022 15:02
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EVERYWHERE 
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So I began to notice that manifold air intake temps would rise over time (faster when stopped of course) to about 110, and once there, never go lower. Sometimes higher, but once moving, would drop to around 110ish. While it may have made some sense for a carb, with injection, even TBI, I figured that was probably not a good thing. So I did this:  MATs now sit around 5 degrees over ambient while moving, climb much slower while sitting, and drop back down to that near ambient temp once moving again. For reference the day of swap out they went from 110 down to 67. I figure that's good for some ping prevention - but maybe I'm missing something? Is there any legit reason to leave the carb style intake on a TBI car? It's 4" tubing. The carb hat sits a bit higher than the old intake does, so perhaps the airflow might be a hair smoother?
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Dec 29, 2022 23:58
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Hey that all looks great and that dash panel rules. I'm a TBI Dropout so I have no opinion on the intake, if it works it works though.
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Dec 30, 2022 17:44
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It's not that different than what Chevy was doing with its fuel injected V8s in the 90s. They usually ran to the fender, but that hat is pretty similar to the factory intake once they stopped using the classic style filter/intake on top. Typically people stick with the old intake for aesthetics, and maybe the sound.
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Jan 1, 2023 00:33
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