72-CLASSIC_RIDE

Still waiting for dryer weather (sigh)! But while waiting, installing new windshield glass, freshening up some painting, installing factory AM/FM Stereo, servicing A/C and installing power trunk release. Plan on being road worthy by end of June when the weather starts cooperating! Doug

I'm guessing the power lead is in a accessory slot & probably really doesn't matter as long as it's hot always. Just drapped across the cowl looks good to me. Not a lot of additional detail routing it. Appreciate the input guys. Now to get er done! Doug

Thats ! Can't believe there isn't somebody close by who recones speakers! Whats this world coming to!! I can have em done for you up here but would mean shipping and waiting! Last time checked, they were $30.00 each & does not include the cloth protective layer. That is easily done by yourself. Micheals has the speaker Cover material. I'm not in need of any other items right now. Yeah, gotta be careful when buying speakers for these radios (Delco Vintage) as 10 ohm speakers are required. I have been told 8 ohm speakers work also but am not ready to test that theory out on mine! No, don't know the Gentleman or the business establishment. So many venues around here it is hard to visit them all. Doug

My father is in a local Chevy Car Club that has a member who recones speakers as he has done all of mine. I would suggest checking local radio shops / classic car venues in your area to get references. Should'nt be to difficult to find someone locally. I have a set of factory 6X9 10 ohm rear speakers with baffles. One has been reconed & the other has not been checked if working. Pigtails are intact. I can have the one reconed here locally if interested but usually takes a month as are delivered back during the next scheduled Club Meeting. Both reconed $150.00 or as is $110.00 + shipping. Also have 1 set of front reconed left. Can get pic's of the rear or both if interested. Doug

That would be great Bob. I was informed the passenger side is where the wire should run as I would have thought it should have traveled along the drivers side (everything else seems to)! Uncomplicates routing it to the other underside of the Dash. Are you aware of the Power Lead location? To the Fuse Block or simply a Hot Lead Fused or unfused? Much appreciated. Is the 12 Bolt your after a Posi & what is the ratio? Doug

Hey Ian, I mean't from the switch to the fuse block or a hot lead. The wire that came with it was only for the switch to trunk. Your right! Orange would be correct for a power lead, but what ga.? Thanks for the pic Bruce. I'll try and follow it's example. Doug

In the 5+ years I have owned the ole girl, that rock chip has'nt changed! Again small & insignificant. The next time will probably look like a crater and crack the windshield pillar to pillar. Conventional wisdom would have likely suggested "Leave It Alone" until something more servere happens, thus reducing the odds a new glass would suffer a like fate! Never considered the normal scratches and nicks that might show themselves over time. Cripes! Maybe you guys should have been talking me out of doing this. But it's going to look sweet until that day comes. Doug

PPG glass is ready to install. Cleaned and epoxy primered front window channel, now just waiting for glass shop to come out and sealer her in. New glass looks really nice and appears not as thick/heavy as the LOP factory glass. I'm guessing the newer technology allows for the thinner glass ply and not just a cost saving measure. Still gotta meet Federal glass safety standards. Thanks again for all the GREAT advise. Now just need a Force Field to deflect the rocks away from it! Doug

Thanks Scott, I'm leaning that direction as well. Looks like all the rear trunk wiring follows the same route down the driver side. Can't see why GM would change direction for just the trunk release! Can't find anything in my manuals that even relates to the power trunk release electrical or otherwise. If anyone knows the color/ga. of the wire from fuse block to trunk, would appreciate that knowledge. Thanks again, Doug

Hey all, Ready to install my Power Trunk release & while I have the location measurements for power button in glove box, the factory wire routing to the trunk I haven't been able to determine. Anyone know if wiring from switch to trunk follows passenger or drivers side? I believe the wiring follows up the trunk driver side hinge into the trunk lid much as the trunk light does. I'm guessing wiring follows drivers side to trunk but am not certain. Just trying to keep everything as close to factory as possible. Thanx for your replies. All have a GREAT day..... Doug

Murphy, .045 spark plug gap is considered a normal gap with HEI ignition systems. I have heard .060 has been used as well but think engine performance played a part in determining the need. Doug

Went with the Weiland on my 402 BB a couple years ago. No performance issues. I selected the polished aluminum Summit #9242P. Doug

Your Fan Shroud mounting points determine Shroud position and is offset. The Fan Blade is off center toward passenger side on OEM Shrouds. Don't know why, but they are! As long as fan blade isn't cutting into Shroud there should be no problem. As far as a gap on drivers side where shroud butts up along radiator side, any gap should be insignificant. If gap is large I would guess Radiator has been replaced, wrong shroud and or maybe radiator top plate cover different from when original. No knowing the history, can only speculate. When I went from a SB to BB, I had about 1" gap running all the way down the passenger side of radiator. I found a piece of channel moulding to seal it off until I replaced radiator. You can try something like that to seal it off. Again, my experience is the fan blade favors the passenger side of the tunnel and have had no problems. Doug

And I was disturbed by the rust/holes found in my rear window channel! Don't feel so bad about it now. That pic of the rusted out hulk is everyones worst nightmare...... That roof will keep you occupied for awhile Jacob. Once finished, wlll be a huge part of your resto and make the others seem small in comparison. Wished I had your moxy. Can't wait to see the finished product! Take lots of pic's during the process. You will have a lot of memories to reflect on over the years and share with othes. Doug

I placed an order with PPG today for the front windshield glass for $173.44 and will pick up locally Saturday. Just need to determine the best way to transport it so I get it home safely! Oh and by the way, if you are looking or need glass replaced in future and use PPG Auto Glass, the P/N is #DW724 GBN for the tinted glass w/antenna in windshield. A few years back the rear window glass was removed to address cancer issues in rear window channel. The butyle tape was removed and replaced with urethane to reseal. The front windshield glass is out, cleaned & ready to primer seal. Was concerned about rust but was solid without any evidence of rust. Whew!! As long as glass is removed, will have inner ledge between lower glass & dash pad painted to freshen it up as well. Urethane will be used to reseal just like the rear. The rock chip I referred to is no larger than the diameter of a dime and really unnoticeable. I'll probably store the removed glass. Appreciate the help guys. I was concerned about making a bad choice as only wanted to do this one time (knock on wood)! Should a accident happen in the future that requires another windshield, I now have a good source for it. I remember some time back there was a thread talking about replacement glass and knew you guys would direct me to the right place. Much appreciated and all have a GREAT day..... Doug

Thanks for your reply. I will contact them. I have gotten prices from $200.00+ all the way down to $88.00 from different vendors which makes me a little apprehensive and suspicious. All were selling foreign made & that also got my attention. Thanx for the tip..... Doug

Not sure this is the correct forum for this discussion but seems to be the one where I might find some answers. Am looking at replacing my windshield (OEM A01 All Tinted Glass). There is a small rock chip that has been in it since I have owned it. It is near the middle & on the lower section. Not terribly annoying and has'nt grown. Problem is locating a suitable replacement as what I found are all foreign made replacements. Has anybody had theirs replaced and what experiences have you had with that replacement, where had you purchased it and how satisfied were you with the replacement. With little experience on this, would like any and all suggestions, advise to ensure I had selected the best viable replacement glass. I am to believe a OEM glass is no longer available. Thanx much, Doug

Is it a BOUNCE or a sharp HOP you are feeling. AS you stated every bump in the road seems to accentuate the ride, it may be as simple as just to stiff of a supension with the air shocks. Are the Air Shocks designed to be used with your car? Compatability is important! Just sayin.............. Doug

Removed the whole Dash assy. from car. Not fun! Doug

Here is a pic of the Dash looking from the back. It is also from a 72 with Round SS style gauges with factory Tach. Don't know if it makes a difference, but felt I should include. Hope it helps. Doug

Just to follow up on my quest to rectify power assemby operational issues, I have bench tested seat assemby and it is now fully functional. Everything is working just as anticipated without a hitch. Now to get the floor mounted bracket(s) to complete the conversion, some free time and nicer weather so I can finish this mod. I realize there are not a lot of us who have the power bucket seat but thought if any do attempt it in the future, the information may be helpful. Doug

I had been craving a power drivers bucket seat assembly for my ride for sometime. Came across one locally and decided to have a look. Seller guaranteed it worked. Bought it and the power seat 4 way switch, took it home and proceeded to bench test it. Long story short, it sorta worked. Would actuate up / down but forward / back intermittently worked. Mostly would only travel back. When I actuated selanoids, only one seemed to fully engage while the other started to but sounded like it had not fully engaged. Found if I slowly & manually spun pully while energizing the problem selanoid, it would find a spot and engage but seat still only would travel back most of the time. Decided to pull cover off transmission, remove internal gear drive assemblies and inspect. Lubrication was hard on gear shafts and would'nt allow selanoid to fully engage unless in right position to find a path past hard lubricant on problem selanoid drive gear. Cleaned gear shafts, relubricated and assembled. Figured problem solved! Nope. Forward / back still only traveling one direction mostly. Okay, picked up switch and shook it. Could hear someting inside rattling around so, disassemble switch to see if problem was with switch. Yep, switch was broken and not a easy find to replace. This is where ingenuity came in! Following pic's describe problem and how I fixed it. Plastic stem broken from center of assemble. This stem had a dual purpose use. First, it secured toggle swith into socket, preventng it from slipping out of position and also from falling down into the internals, but more importantly, it prevented internal contacts from touching each other causing a short if wrong contacts touched each other. Pics show the broken stem, a simulation of my repair and the actual repair secured in assembly. Basically, drilled a hole thru center of switch body where stem broke off, determined a suitable size / length screw and a insulator surrounding screw to prevent any metal to metal that would touch contact(s). The diameter of the insulator was important as the base of all contacts were kept centered by it and insulator had to seat down inside diameter of contact assembly base. Only thing left is to cut relief into power seat harness plug to switch for screw head protruding thru back side of switch. I am guessing this plastic post snapped by a sharp blow or drop on the toggle switch. You can see in pic below how toggle switch engages the contacts when moved side to side and up / down. The 4 elevated plastic teeth provide the downward pressure onto contacts when toggle switch is moved. I think my idea makes a more robust repair and will prevent possibility of happening again. Following pic shows operation / orientation of motor, transmission and selanoids. A pretty compressed explanation of repairs but I think provides enough should anyone experience any similar problems with theirs. Took a video of current with motor running and was very strong but not perfect. Haven't done the final bench test (will do tomorrow) but am confident all will work flawlessly now. Only thing left is to diassemble, clean, paint & lubricate to complete for installation in car. I will have to purchase a after market power bucket seat bracket that is needed for the left rear side (as OEM are impossible to get) and am not sure what additional problems it will provide for correct fitment. But once solved, I will finally have my Power Bucket Drivers seat! One other note. The Motor drives the transmission using a O-ring on 2 pulleys to power seat movement when selanoid(s) are engaged. The drive belt or O-ring in this case is also tough to find. I found a couple new transmission like O-rings that are every bit as strong (fit & function) as the original. These are my spare replacements. The O-ring tends to stretch and becomes loose on pullys that eventually will throw O-ring over time. Just thought I would share!!! All have a GREAT day....... Doug

The linkage bracket on the Transmission may be your problem if using the bracket from the 350 tranny as the 400 & 350 use different brackets. The alignment of the cable may be off giving you the irregular shift pattern. Just a guess? Doug

Okay, if the radio face light is on then you have power to radio. If your not hearing any noise coming through speaker(s) with volume turned up and station tuned in, then it would appear the problem is between the radio connection and speaker connection(s). If radio was working and a sharp cornering intermittently made sound blank out, I would assume the problem is likely with the wiring. With radio on and tuned into a station, move wiring around with your fingers at / near speaker(s) and see if you get any noise through speaker(s). If you find by doing this noise is evident, isolate that wire and disconnect, inspect, clean contacts both ends and reattach wire ensuring a good solid contact. Not being there, it is difficult to identify your problem! Because you had indicated speakers are not original, can't validate speakers are compatible with radio. Remember for a factory Delco radio, the speaker(s) should be 10 ohm to safely operate radio. For example, 4 ohm speakers could damage radio! Knowing that you have power to the radio eliminates that portion of the problem. Focus on the speaker(s) now. Check contacts for any loose / open connections. If you are confident there are none, you will need to try a different compatible speaker. If still nothing, I would suggest problem is within radio internals and requires service. However, based on your description, I think you have a open connection at / near speaker(s) that is a poor contact or open ground! Even hitting a rut in the road could make speakers quit if poor contact / ground. Can't offer any more than that and hopefully helps you to some degree in isolating your problem Again, best of luck in finding and repairing it. Doug

Here are a couple questions that may help us in determining your radio issues. 1) Is it a factory Delco Radio? AM Band only - 1 Center Dash Speaker or - 2 Front Dash Speakers AM/FM Mono - 2 Front Dash Speakers or - 2 Front & 1 Rear AM/FM Stereo - 2 Front & 2 Rear Speakers 2) When Radio stops emitting sound, does it also loose power? Or does the Radio emit static noise? 3) If other than AM Band, can you switch between AM/FM Bands and get same result? 4) Does Radio initially power up and during usage does it quit playing or does radio loose power? 5) Are speaker(s) factory 10 ohm or are they after market? Only 10 ohm speakers are compatible with factory Delco radio! 8 ohm will work but 10 ohm recommended. Anything less could cause damage to radio. If a total lose of power, check your connections at radio. If power but no sound, check speaker(s) connection(s). Even if antenna is inoperable, you should still get static at minimum from speakers. If no noise emits from speaker(s) with volume turned up, you have no power at minimum going into speaker(s). Here is a pic of factory radio. This is AM/FM Stereo but is consistent with both AM AM/FM looks. AM only will not have slide bar near top center to move from AM to FM. Here is a pic of rear. On the far right is the power hook up. At mid point is the power capacitor(s). One if AM AM/FM Mono or 2 if stereo. On far left near bottom is receiver where antenna cable is plugged into. The ground is part of the power connector and a stick on label right under connection will tell you which wire does what (if label is still ledgible or in tact). If this helps in you narrowing down the source of your problem and isolating it, then you will be able to focus on it. Try unplugging antenna from rear, cleaning contact & recepticle, ensuring a firm fit on cable plug in. Unplug connector, inspect, clean as needed (connector & recepticle) and reconnect it. Determine if power is going to speaker(s) by turning up volume. If radio always seems to power up when cold and then looses sound after operating for awhile, probably the power capacitor is weak. This is the round feature mid point on rear of radio. If no power at all in radio, likely a connection problem at radio or fuse block. Having a test light would be helpful in determing power issue. If power to radio is evident and speaker(s) emit noise, probably internal & radio will require removal and inspection by qualified technician. That is how I would trouble shoot it if a factory radio. Best of luck and welcome to the FGMCC. Doug