Blake350

A round of congrats once again to all who braved the weather and had a great time all weekend long as well!!! 31 cars and 47 members ...with a washout forcast!! this Eastern meet and club can only go up from here-imagine what we can do in the sun...BUT as was stated before the numbers only give a hint to the outside world as to what we are "up to"... to be a part of the comraderie is something to experience!! Brian

YES you guys pretty much said it all..but I must also thank Rob and those that helped him...it truly was a fantastic time...someone who had come to the EM for the first time and who had their fill of 'snooty car clubs' couldnt believe how great we all got on...always mixed feelings on Sunday morning..like why can't it go on for one more day... Brian

there is a ton of info out there on the alternator conversion and it is really quite straightforward... as for the complete wiring diagram I'm sure some of the electrical gurus will be able to get it to you..I believe once there was a full color laminated sheet wiring diagram for sale... is this correct/still available?? as for the HEI you would need a non-resistance wire as the hei unit requires a full 12 volts... i deal with house wiring..as for our cars wiring my hats always off to those members who know the schematics and colors of virtually every wire that was put in at the factory..quite am amazing batch of info for sure!!...

Thanks for the info..maybe I jumped the gun on asking for the OAL on that part...I dont post often or want to bother anyone but if I needed any engine part, brake or suspension part it would be a snap-just go into parts store and get it...but this little bugger has me wondering the best action...maybe I should of asked "what would you do"...go to a dealer and try to get an OEM gm unit? anyone suggest a good quality aftermarket unit and replace the tube as well? or maybe a fellow member has a good one laying around and would want to change it into a case of beer or whatever you prefer...its a pesky little detail but I want to monitor the level and condition of my fluid... one more time around- thanks for any advice!! Brian

thanks no thank goodness it broke off with a little sticking out I pulled it and now cant find the parts...

I know this is a minor issue for those of you smokin' up trannies at the track,or rebuilding them over coffee break,but here goes-my darn dipstick snapped off at the top cap and I cant find it to measure it to match up...exactly how long is the OEM unit from the top surface of the "cap" that the fingerpull attaches to to the end of the stick? i figure if I can get an aftermarket one that is close I can work from there. I don't need to change the tube--just need the stick.Are they the same for th400 and th350? reason I ask is some aftermarket list the same one for both. In the old days I would just climb 3 cars high in a scrapyard and pluck one out-but scrapyards around here have gone the way of VCR tape rental stores ...thanks!! Brian

Yesterday finally got to pull her out and go for just a few miles to stretch her legs -last decent drive was this past December 8th!! Oh my, talk about withdrawal...it was almost like "where you been"??!! Salt,gravel and ice salt,gravel and ice-repeat and simmer on low flame for four months-many of you get the idea- then just puttered around a bit cleaning checking etc-can't wait for driving season again -its been WAY too long!! Brian

Thats always the best bet especially with our V8's... the biggest one the tray will hold-as they say "its all about CCA" well maybe 'they' dont say it,but it makes sense to me!!

Im NO expert on the mysteries of these old girl's wiring,but on first thought I would think factory installed relays and components would be wired right into the fusebox,with the front plug in terminals reserved for "add -on" items like guages, radios,HEI as you mentioned,etc...But if that pink plug in wire is going to an "add-on" or had to be installed because the original conductor failed-then,like most of these wiring mysteries,who knows what they did.... Brian

Its nice to see a thread every so often that "kicks around" the Monte Custom package...it is unfortunate that there is no way to accurately report how many TOTAL(bb&sb) Customs were built since our arcives indicate that GM didn't keep it as a seperate model...but as recorded and as Davey stated, only 1268 total 454 cars were issued in 1972. Were ALL 454 cars Customs? Obviously not,as Jims 70 immediately proves..but as percentage of total yearly production: 1268 of 180,819(0.7%) they are more rare then the 70 SS (1919 of 128,600-1.5%) and 70SS(3823 of 145,976-2.6%) Interesting little trivia tidbit-its New Years Day I must not have enough to do today) As to that strike,I am not sure but I thought it occurred during the 1971 production,delaying it and reducing output to 128,600-perhaps someone can clarify this-BUT if there was a disruption that prevented retooling the entire line for '72 well then I say BRAVO to the hands of fate-for one my car and so many other beauties(including those 1268) would never have rolled out the plant door-and to boot with sales of over 180K the '72 'wasnt too shabby' Why didnt they build an SS for '72? I dont know but welcome comments...maybe because the sales numbers slipped so much from 70 to 71 they figured lets not try and push this performance thing any farther but go with some appearance and comfort goodiees instead?? With a price tag of just a couple hundred bucks,you would think almost all 72 would be customs- it seems worth the price even in 1972 dollars.. And lastly,the car in the ad seems fine but those kick panels have to go-I like to stretch out while driving and that Monte of mine feels like a comfy couch on wheels- those things would drive me crazy!! Brian

In fact those original "w" code 454 Customs are kinda rare and desirable as a 72 model year item can be-I learned that like so much else by hangin around here all these years(as in not as rare or desireable as the earlier SS ,402 4 speed,or similar items). I have a small block Custom which by now is as "Incorrect as it can be"-wrong color,rallye wheels,engine mods etc-it came to me pretty much that way-I would never modify any "100 percent correct bone stock Custom since i think it would be worth more and be more unique completely unmolested...maybe since they came with the 12 bolt and other suspension goodies they were more often modified for performance at the expense of "factory correctness" who knows/ But like most of you,correct or not "shes my baby'"and the thrill of a ride long or short is just the same as it was 8 years ago when she rolled off the trailer,completing a 2800 mile journey to her new "protective guardian"(the seller used that phrase -he was neglecting her due to time,other projects etc and was wise enough to know she deserved better-thats where I came along haha) Ok that completes my Sunday morning ramble over coffee... Brian

Temp guages arent too hard to install-in general,change out the sender in the head,and wire up for sender,ground and power,as well as lighting for nitetime operation-as per guage requirements--ammeter not so sure of proper hookup but I'm sure info will be provided soon- or,yeah the 'underhood steam method' has never failed to alert me if I forgot to look at the idiot lite!!! Brian

Hi Willie yes that whole sub -assembly does look great-and looking at the two halves sitting there I couldnt help but think ,man that thing is one heck of a molded contraption!!(hope GM engineering circa mid 60's isn't listening lol) Brian

Thats noteworthy for sure -43? has it been that long-time flies-I sometimes think what a time it would be to parade the original design team around a bunch of our cars to see how beautifully they have been restored and/or maintained and how much enjoyment they give us and those who see them-I'm sure they would be as proud as we are!!! Brian

hey Rob havent chimed in here lately but like all of us have been encouraged by your progress,and now of course concerned,but confident you will pull thru fine-BUT you are not allowed to start any post on this thread with "had" or "almost had" a heart attack...that kind of talk is likely to give us one!!! but seriously, thoughts are with you and your family-you got alot of people in your corner,and sometimes that makes all the difference... Brian

I cant say for certain but I think I remember some examples,and it would make sense from a manufacturing point,that some harnesses and connectors would end up with an unused wire or terminal in a less optioned model-these wires,capped off,may at some point become 'uncapped' and find their way into making mischief... Brian

there is nothing better than seeing proper voltage again where there wasn't,or in your case seeing that bulb brighten back up....a combo sense of relief and accomplishment that "you nailed it!!"...very nice!

the T/S flasher has only two terminals-if you have a full 12 volts at one signal ,but only around 8 at the other,I'm thinking voltage is being dropped across a resistance-maybe caused as others have stated,by a loose or corroded point between the flasher output and the bulb socket,or on the ground side-I know,like all these pesky elec issues,easier to speculate than locate...but am interested to see what the culprit was. Brian

Definitely looks like a good time...just a bit far for me-nice pictures one thing I've always noticed the Western meets always offer some beautiful country for cruising,hangin out and of course magnificent backdrops for those classy shots!!! Brian

Wow Rob thats just what we were waiting to hear-that you are up and on the mend-take one day at a time and lets hope the worst is behind you...excellent-post when you can-we will be here!! Brian

Just joining in that collective sigh of relief upon reading the latest-that collective sigh of relief that stretched across most of the USA and Canada...ever realize that there are some people you deal with almost every day and they make nary an impression,while others you hang with a handful of times, but don't forget...well Rob is firmly in the 2nd group-I am so glad he is making progress and am looking forward to hearing from him again around here-and when he feels up to it,we must insist he doesn't go and scare us like this again!! Brian

I just want to also say my thoughts and prayers are with Rob and his family-having saw this earlier,I was quite distressed but said to myself,a nasty stone,but he's tough he's in the hospital we'll hear from him soon-now I see he needs our continued prayers and support-so come on my friend we are behind you and wish you a full recovery.... Brian

That is certainly good info for anyone rebuilding a big block-glad you found the problem and would be nice if everyone doing a similar rebuild sees this first-amazing how the devil is truly in the details-as massive a machine the big block is, just a few mils difference in a couple of oil holes makes a nite and day difference!!

I had a 750 edelbrock came with car-was not working well- switched to a 600 and couldnt be better-like cams,sometimes the instinct to "overcarb' causes more harm than good. From what I'm told,my small engine wasnt able to move air fast enough thru the larger carb-low end throttle response and overall performance much improved with the smaller unit. I agree with those in the know-600 sounds about right!!(the only thing I did to the Eddy 600 was richen it up a bit via thinner metering rods) Brian

Hi Murphy sorry for delay...I dont recall seeing an actual secondary voltage stated-but they claim a hotter spark and performance and reliability exceeding OEM when the flamethrower coil and module are used together-I hope someone in the know fills us in...I went with the Pertrx unit because it looked like a good compromise between ultra hi- and ultra low end of the market,combined with the company's long history and mainly because many members who only use what is best for their engines have used Pertronix products with success. Finally,I did see an immediate increase in power and stability over the old unknown unit. Also, I read that 2 coils are comonly use in the HEI-mine has the yellow lead,others have a white lead(the red and black supply leads being the same) anyone know the performance difference between both? It seems one of the most important things is the 12v supply to the system-a 12 guage wire (14 absolute min) for std applications,with an AWG10 for performance.I had a 20 guage twig in there-not good since even tho the HEI does not draw high average current,it does do instantaniously when firing-who knew? its great to learn whats going on and not just 'change parts'!! Brian