wallaby

I bought a box of thick 2" dia washers at Home Depot. They may have a large center hole, but they work good at spacing the seats upward. I ended up with somewhere around an inch thick stack at each corner, maybe more. Once I had the right height dialed in, I made some "better looking" 1-piece spacers of the same height from aluminum. In a pinch you can wrap the washers with tape and they don't look so bad. Oh, don't forget to get some longer bolts, too. You will find that as the seats go up, you gain legroom. It's nice but you find out quick that the ceiling is pretty low.

Hydroboost works great, but is kinda costly. Well worth it IMO. Here's a photo of mine as it was going in:

Ok, the Norton update found some stuff. I did a deep scrub and it turned up some tidyware or something that was an ad pop up thingy. I got that deleted ok. Geez if I talked this way about cars I'd worry. Anyway, for the moment things seem ok.

I use IE only...not tried others. I did an update to quicktime a while back, but I didn't see any degrade with that. Now when I come here and click on message forums, I get a page telling me to update my windows 7 drivers. When I close that page, another is under it saying virus threats detected. I don't trust any of that...my Norton doesn't see anything. Norton does have some tune-up tasks like windows registry, but as of now I'm afraid to push any buttons. LOL

Sometime in the past we went through this here, but I'm not finding it. Lately my computer is really having trouble navigating the web. When I first try to open up my google homepage, it often just sits there "waiting for response from goole.com", and times out saying it cannot display the page. I try again and it might go right through. It seems that once I'm in, it works ok...but that first step is the worst. It's slow to open navigator and google takes forever. I was in the habit of opening google, then switching on "in private" browsing so I don't collect a bunch of cookies etc, and then opening the google homepage again. That 2nd opening of google is the biggest hurdle and often fails to happen. somewhere there was a list of steps that could be used to clean up the computer myself. I tried a ping test and it comes out ok, so I'm guessing that the problem is in my computer and not my internet connection? My wife uses the same wireless connection with her phone and opens pages while my laptop is still thinking. I don't trust auto program fixes on the web. Either I'm going to fix this myself, or I'm about ready to take it in and pay someone to do it. Does someone here know what steps should be taken for a tune up?

I went through the same process with my engine, and it's tough to find something between 8.5 and 12 to-one compression setup. The quench is an important aspect of the formula. Keeping the quench area tight helps promote turbulence and eliminates a lot of detonation problems. Your gut reaction to a detonation problem might be to install thicker head gaskets to reduce the compression, but a thinner gasket will reduce the quench area and may do more for detonation problems than a compression reduction. I had 119cc heads with 19cc (I think) dome pistons. I was just under 9.5 cr static. I never had an issue running pump gas and it was ok with 87 octane for everyday use.

Math? What math? Slope may still be expressed when the horizontal run is not known: the rise can be divided by the hypotenuse (the slope length). This is not the usual way to specify slope; it follows the sine function rather than the tangent function, so it calls a 45-degree slope a 71-percent grade instead of a 100-percent. But in practice the usual way to calculate slope is to measure the distance along the slope and the vertical rise, and calculate the horizontal run from that. The tricky part to remember is that a 100% grade or slope is a 45 degree angle from horizontal. If it comes straight up, there is no slope, and the percentage angle is infinite. Like said earlier, the fit & finish is in the details. LOL

I had a friend years ago that did a nice epoxy paint on his engine ...mixed and done with a spray gun and everything. It looked great. The downside was that it smelled like paint every time the engine got warm, and the paint seemed soft when it was hot. Maybe the newer paints don't have this problem, but it plagued him as long as he had he car. It wasn't any paint designated for high-heat use, just standard automotive epoxy paint...maybe it was the umpteen coats he put on? Not sure, but it was annoying to him as engine paint is like a commitment.

Ok; it's impossible to describe the procedure with just words. I made a photo of a generic pitman arm and show how to get those dumb things apart. The pivots have a tapered shaft and fit tight into a tapered hole. This is true of ball joints, and all the steering link ends. The trick is to deform the hole enough to make it let go of the shaft running through it. Pounding on the threads and trying to drive the shaft back out the way it came rarely works without damage to the piece. A picklefork does this, but it takes tremendous force to make it happen. Now look at the photo here: The box I drew represents something solid and heavy. Maybe a 4lb hammer head? Hold it tight against the back side of the arm, and hit the front side with a sharp blow (indicated by arrow) with another big hammer. The object is to deform that end for a second so it releases its grip on the shaft. Often times the two parts will simply drop apart, or require minimal effort to separate.

Wow, nice job. You've been busy! The console turned out great. I made one for mine a few years back and yours is a similar shape. Mine is made from MDF and designed as an enclosure for my sub-woofer, so it's got a bottom to it. I have a cheap beverage caddy sitting right about where your shifter resides. Thank goodness that caddy lifts out, as it's something of an eyesore...but pretty handy for holding drinks. The stereo sounds great with the woofer inside the car. Never could get used to the idea of trying to force the sound through the back seat from the trunk.

Ok, that's pretty cool. I was the guy driving the car right in front of you, so I feel like the star of that film. It was great seeing our group snake through the bends leading out of the park at the beginning. I have lots of still photos of my car, but this is one of the few of it in motion. It's sad to know that that racetrack was torn down shortly after our visit. I remember how agonizing it was to drive so slow on that oval. I just wanted to...

I've seen many aged motors that couldn't stand up to the added pressures developed from a simple valve job. Once you seal up the valves, the pressure escapes past the next weakest link: the rings.

yep, camshaft are all the same. There's a big difference between a 396 and 454, so the grind is different, but they all interchange. They all run the same cylinder head also, and the 396 has huge valve area for its' displacement, where the 454 doesn't breathe as freely with those same heads because it has more displacement. The cams from all the MkIV big-blocks interchange, but the engine needs are different.

I believe the diameter of the hose is different, too. I bought one of those chrome thermostat housings that was listed to fit all chevy v-8, and it bolted down fine, but the neck was too small to fit my hose. That's not real scientific, but hose diameter could be an issue.

Alignment of the belts is important, too. The front belt is the easiest to check, you can use a straightedge placed across the lower pulley and see if the water pump and alt pulleys are located too far back, or at an angle to that lower pulley. I had to shim my water pump pulley outward .060 ..perhaps the pump flange was pressed on too far. I also found that the top of the alternator was leaning rearward and had to move the upper bracket a bit to get it straight. Once I got the pulleys all pointing straight to one another, my belt issues went away.

I ran with Keith Black hyper pistons and didn't like them. They have rings situated higher than usual, and require big ring gaps. My machinist thought he knew better than to read the instructions, and gapped them as normal...they tore up my cylinder walls. Even after a re-hone and re-ring job, they were poor at oil control. My new engine has Mahle pistons with low friction rings, which were recommended as an upgrade by my builder. They weren't cheap, but good for 40hp with the same compression ratio. It's hard to find 40hp with any single upgrade. A bonus is better mileage and quicker reving with the low friction rings and lighter pistons. I have no complaints.

Mine is set up almost the same as yours. I went with the 2.0 intake and it was terrible. The stock iron intake was far better. That 2.0 wouldn't flow enough air to even open my Q-jet secondaries, and it fell flat closer to 4500 rpm...like that was all it had. I thought it would be better at making low-end torque, but when it wouldn't let me run on all 4 barrels, it wasn't even good at that. The performer RPM fixed all that. I didn't go with the airgap, but it's the same otherwise. Don't expect miracles, the RPM performs a tad better than stock, but it weighs a LOT less...it's also better suited for a square bore carb, and has no downside traits. I made the story long, but the point is that the RPM intake is what you want.

Some pumps advertise ball bearings, or fancy impellers, but they all seem to do the same job. I went with a "hi-volume" aluminum pump and had to do some heavy mods to make it fit...after all that, I don't see any difference in cooling. At more than double the price, it should work twice as good. Those stock pumps are so simple they last forever.

No, that doesn't sound like a good idea. That engine is probably barely hanging in there as it is. As soon as you break it open to change a camshaft even, you're going to find all kinds of things that need attention. You really need to get a solid base before thinking about adding a blower. With a good rebuild, you may find that the power you get from a fresh motor is enough to shelve that supercharger idea. What you're thinking is similar to adding a second story to this house:

The advance curve is very important. NO OEM HEI has a good curve as-is. If you go to a wrecking yard and get an HEI, figure on having it recurved by someone with a real distributor machine. I didn't see any advance specs on this E-bay ad, and he didn't mention if it was altered or anything. I had mine equipped with an aftermarket performance advance kit and adjustable vacuum can, and when I took it in to my guy I told him to set it up. When I told him of my mods, he rolled his eyes and said I would need all new parts...parts that work. He dialed that thing in and the difference was amazing. I've never felt such a "seat of the pants" difference in any other mod. Headers, mufflers, maybe even camshaft. He somehow just brought the engine to life with a recurve. Find a guy that can do a good recurve, and you can start with almost anything.

FYI, paint works pretty well on rubber as long as it isn't a gloss finish paint. For some reason, gloss paints do not fully dry when applied on rubber (?). They set up like a tacky goo. For rubber,Flat paint is best, and semi-gloss is ok...the more gloss, the less it fully sets. I had to apply a coat of black to my '71SS bumper strip. Semi-flat worked great.

I have one of those universal in-line filters installed between my fuel pump and the frame in the rubber hose there. It was a good idea to put in a new hose anyway, so I added a filter while I was in there. I have heard that it's not ideal to mount a filter on the suction side of the pump, but the up side is that it keeps my fuel pump clean as well as the carb. I've had no issues. Something like this:

In this photo, the reflection of the cooler looks like a red stripe around the rim...a nice detail!

Ok. Now the stupid questions: Do I need to mess with glues/adhesives? I assume at least on the earmuff boards. Mine had glue failure early on, and driving with windows down flapped the fabric right off. Anyone have source for those earmuff boards? Do I have to buy extra headliner fabric to get those done? ...and the sun visors?

You can dial that hesitation out. It sounds as if your secondary spring is set too loose. It's a bit tricky, but described here: I suggest maybe 1/4-1/2 turn tighter on the adjustment screw. Here is the entire procedure, perhaps described a little more complicated than it has to be but gives a good understanding of the process: Secondary airvalve adjustment is made using the spring windup adjustment screw and its lock screw located at the secondary airvalve lever. Procedure is as follows: The secondary spring windup is adjusted with a small, slotted-head screw on the passenger side of the carb, right at the top of the carb on the secondary side. The screw head points right out to the side. 90 degrees from this, on the bottom, there is an allen-head lock screw that keeps the slotted screw from turning. If you have trouble seeing it, place a mirror under the area until you spot it. With a small slotted screwdriver holding the adjustment screw, loosen the allen screw about ¼ turn. This will allow you to turn the slotted adjustment screw. Counting the turns, allow the slotted screw to slowly unwind until all spring tension is gone. You can use your mirror to see the spring disengage contact from the pin lever underneath the air horn. If the spring tension was lost after only ½ turn, the windup was too loose. Bring the spring into contact with the lever. Note when it just barely touches. From this point, wind the spring up between ¾ turn and 7/8 turn. This is a good starting point, and will prevent any bogs or hesitations due to premature secondary opening. From here, you can loosen the windup about 1/8 to 1/4 turn at a time and test-drive the car - when the car falls on its face or feels "flat" going into the secondaries, you've hit the max point. Tighten the spring back up 1/8 to 1/4 turn, and you have the quickest secondary opening rate that your car/engine will handle.