wallaby

Ok, after 40+ years, my headliner is starting to let go from the cross bars and beginning to sag. My earmuff boards are shot and both the fabric on the front and that super Velcro on the back have let go....time for new sun visors too. I've done the whole interior including package tray, but now my ceiling is due. The question is do I do it all myself? I've seen posts on this stuff, but it looks time consuming at least. How much does an interior shop charge for this kind of work? Should I source the parts first? insights?

Well, it could be normal. When you go to start the car, you need to tap the gas to set the choke and at the same time it squirts some fuel into the engine. When you twist the key it should be ready to go. When the choke closes it engages a fast idle setting, so when it does start it runs fast to keep it going. wait several seconds and tap the gas again and the idle should slow down some. Once the engine has started, it should pull the choke plate open a bit right away, and then the choke plate will gradually open as the engine warms up. It should be straight up & down when the engine is warmed up.

These seats I got from the local "pull it yourself" wrecking yard. They are from a Dodge Neon. The price was right; just $20ea. Not a direct bolt-in, and if combing the wrecking yards remember to get seats from a 2-door car. These were from a 4-door, and I had to modify them to tilt forward for rear seat access. The center console is of my own making. It's mainly just an enclosure for my subwoofer.

Compared to my old worn out springs, the 1" drop springs sat higher. Not by a lot, but some. The big difference was in the stiffness of the spring, as it is firmer than the old ones. This won't gain you much ground clearance, but it keeps the front end from dropping so much as you go over the back side of a speed bump for example. Also makes the car handle much better in the curvy sections

I went with a Hotchkis spring with 1" drop. No regrets, they work so much better than the old originals. I did all four corners. Here is their page: LINKY The bouncing is probably bad shocks. I did a simple Monroe shock that every parts store carries and they work fine.

Originally Posted By: wallaby Maybe the trick is to disconnect the cable from the trans and drive it with a drill as mentioned....then try moving the gear selector to different positions (all with the engine off). At least this way you can figure if the problem is inside the trans or not. There's a great idea.

It's not going to hurt to put in some fresh fuel either.

I think the issue with chrome water necks is the chrome itself. Like paint, the gasket has a hard time getting a grip on something so smooth. I've had good results by putting sandpaper on a flat hard surface and rubbing the housing over it to remove the plating/give it some tooth. That trick isn't going to do much good inside an O-ring groove, though. Maybe a standard type gasket will work instead of using the O-ring?

I'm wondering if it could be something simple or stupid like a fouled spark plug or bad plug wire. That's something that could come from nowhere and give you issue. We've talked about a lot of things in this thread. It's hard to diagnose a problem over the internet, but lets focus on what it's doing. So you did some parking brake stuff, and suddenly the engine runs lousy. You describe it as not wanting to stay running...does that mean it runs rough, or slow? and will it stay running if you attend to it, or even then it's hard to keep going? Warm, cold...any difference? Does it slowly start dying out, and come back to life with some throttle or runs like crap no matter what you do? Is there ever a point where it runs ok? I'm just trying to break it down so you can find your issue without having to disassemble everything for inspection. It could be a fuel or ignition problem, but fuel problems tend to show up under high-load conditions, and not so much at idle...unless it's something in the carburetor itself like a sunken or stuck float or a choke issue. That cylinder thingy with vacuum fittings isn't the problem. That is for emissions and 99% of us have them unhooked.

Those sidepipes on the Corvette are great. A major pain to install, and they burn your leg every time you open the door. I love 'em. I've often wondered if a Corvette set could be modified to fit the Monte, but you'd have to saw off the header primary tubes under the car, and lengthen the exhaust tube on the outside so it reaches to the rear tire...Corvette is like 18 inches different in wheelbase. So it's a $1,000 gamble, and then you have to cut them up and rechrome them. Ouch. Hooker used to make a "universal" sidepipe kit that looks the same from the outside, but only a single primary tube is hooked up, so they would work ok with shorty headers or stock manifolds. They also came in different lengths...maybe you remember them being popular on vans. The only problem is that I hear they are very restrictive to exhaust flow (either type) and knock nearly 100hp (!) from your dyno numbers, and the universal type has been discontinued. But they sound and look great.

Ok, how about when the car is leaning in a turn? With your axle in the right place, how does your clearance look when one rear wheel is lower than the other? Remember when the car leans through a turn one side goes up, and the other side goes down. That's the motion a rear sway bar tries to control.

It could be so many things. My gut says it's a choke issue...maybe stuck somewhere or a linkage fell off? There is also a choke pull-off that is vacuum operated, could have gone bad. You need to do an underhood check with the air cleaner off. First check to see if the choke flap is closing all the way...a slight tap on the gas pedal should set the linkage and the choke flap should close. Then once the engine is started, is the choke beginning to open? It should be partly open, and slowly open fully as the engine warms up.

That's what I was thinking Andreas...sidepipes. The problem with the "ahead of the tire" exit is there is a lower control arm in the way there and it needs enough room to pivot downward even further. Running a pipe under there without interference makes the pipe exit look wrong.

Figure on replacing the springs too. The factory springs are good for something in like .480, then they bind. Most aftermarket cams have more lift than that. New lifters are a must...and while you're in there, you might as well put in a new timing chain & gears. I ran one of these with good result: Lunati 10110702. They are using a new part numbering system now...it used to be PN 60202. It pulled enough vacuum to run power brakes and had a bit of healthy sound to it. It also made great torque and was very streetable. I wouldn't go bigger or you loose the "good" gas mileage and street manners. LOL. Your engine is smaller than mine also, so this cam will seem more aggressive in yours than it did in my 468. The next size smaller might be a better choice, https://www.lunatipower.com/Product.aspx?id=2149&gid=287 and the info says it's ok with stock valve springs, but I never put in a cam without matching springs. I ran Comp cams stuff before this, and wasn't happy. I had issues with breaking valve springs.

Wow, I was surprised nobody chimed in with the penetrating oil trick. The cable that does the pulling is wrapped inside a spiral wire housing (like a manual choke cable, or an old lawn mower throttle). [geez did I date myself?] Soak the entire length of the cable housing and it could free up and work well enough that you don't have to cut or replace anything.

Oh, and while I was browsing, I found this: Seems like a copy to me:

I hope it has some air filters somewhere. That is an interesting paint job. The combo of flat and gloss black works well...it reminds me of the old 'cuda kind of paint scheme. I don't know if I'd like it in another color, but the black looks nice. Here's 'cuda:

That's a good one. The drive gears are on the output shaft and rotate whenever the car is in motion, regardless of what gear it's in. I can't figure why it only registers on the dash when the selector is in the neutral position. Is it possible that the linkage or column rotation is somehow disrupting the input in other gear positions? Maybe the trick is to disconnect the cable from the trans and drive it with a drill as mentioned....then try moving the gear selector to different positions (all with the engine off). At least this way you can figure if the problem is inside the trans or not.

That's about the only drawback to using a press to force the parts together....you loose all feel of what's happening. I prefer the hammer so you can work your way around the edge and keep/get it straight as you go. The press method tends to get it going crooked, then keeps going anyway. If it starts in the right direction, it's a lot easier, but what are the odds..

Are you working with a TH400 or TH350? It sounds as if your kickdown is not adjusted right. If it thinks you are really into the throttle, it will behave as you describe. Do you have engine braking when you decel, or does it feel as if it's in neutral when you let off the gas?

Wow, I was close LOL. I had a 50/50 chance of getting that right. I corrected the above text.

This photo might help, it shows most of the brackets. The monster cast-iron piece goes on the front of the engine, and a smaller cast-iron piece holds up the rear bolted to the head near the exhaust manifold. The A-frame steel piece goes on top and crosses over the valve cover and bolts thru an ear on the intake manifold. None of this stuff fits without mods if you have headers or tall valve covers.

Ok this might sound stupid, but is the rotor going around when you crank the engine? Pull the cap and actually look as the engine turns over. As for the coil, it's common to hook them up backwards: the positive (+) side should be hooked up to the power supply, and the neg (-) side goes to the points. Make sure your points are adjusted so they both open AND close. When the points are closed current flows and fills the coil; when the points open the coil discharges a spark. You can unhook the points wire from the coil and replace it with a length of wire that will reach a ground...with the key on, the coil should throw a spark when the temp wire is removed from the ground. The points are just a simple switch that turn on/off that wires' connection to ground.

I went heavy duty also. The street/strip and race only settings are really harsh shifting. I mean these will bark the tires at every shift even if you're trying to be casual about it. They also let the engine rev higher before shifting into the next gear. It sounds exciting, but it gets annoying and you wonder how your U-joints can handle all those dump-clutch shifts. The heavy duty mode gives good solid shifts, much crisper than stock, but doesn't slam the gears. Under heavy throttle it behaves more aggressive and really hooks up. If you have a stock converter, I'd recommend the heavy duty setup.