Mike Brichta

Hey Alan, Which side do you have? I think I have an NOS one but I'm not sure what side it is. If you are interested I will look around for it. Thanks!! Mike

Can a newly rebuilt TH350 be stored without being used? and for how long? A local Trans shop that is going out of business has one for sale at a great price but I don't need it right now. I'm wondering if it is ok to just "bag it" and keep as a spare until I might need it. How long can it be stored that way? Thanks!! Mike

Hey Rick, When you say "idle improved" do you mean the issue was resolved at that point? It sounds like your choke is not opening when the engine warms up. On your style carb that is controlled by a spring coil in the intake. It's right next to where you drew the yellow circle. The spring expands as the engine warms up and pushes a rod which opens the choke. It is hard to explain what it looks like. If you remove the screw which holds on the cover you can inspect it to see if it is working correctly. Hope that helps.

You are not the only one disappointed with the cheap metal inner wheel wells. When I put them on I did not have to do any drilling but after 2 years of every day driving they rusted badly from inside out and basically fell apart. I even painted the under side with Chassis Saver paint and then undercoated them. I painted the tops with Dupont base/clear. It really had nothing to do with the paint. It is the cheap steel that they make them out of. I will try the plastic ones next time...

I have a complete driver's side remote mirror, stripped and in primer. If interested let me know. Thanks!! Mike

I am looking to rebuild my Q-Jet and am having trouble finding the KEM kits. It's been a while since I last rebuilt one. Are these kits no longer available? If so, what is a good replacement kit? Thanks!! Mike

Thanks Scott !!

It's been a while since I had to align the crank and cam and install a timing chain and was wondering if there is anything special that I needed to remember. I'm pretty sure that the (2) marks/pointers on the crank and cam have to point to each other when cylinder #6 is firing. In other words, the crank mark will be at 12 O'clock and the cam mark will be at 6 O'clock. I also seem to remember that I should use locktite on the cam bolts. Anything else that I am forgetting? As a followup question: What would be the result if I was off by (1) tooth on the line-up? Would it just run rough with loss of power? Just curious. Thanks!! Mike

I'm not a trans guy but what I am being told by the trans experts is that my current trans (TCI TH350) has a burnt drive clutch pack. Did I say that right? In other words, very little pull in any forward gear (lots of slipping), fine in reverse. Trans oil is black and smells like something burnt up. The local trans guy said it is the same price to rebuild my current one or swap him for a newly rebuilt one. I have no complaints with the fuel economy and don't race it. Thanks!! Mike

At this point I have pretty much decided to go with a TH350. I have a pretty well built 383 (around 410 HP) and have a 3.45 posi 12-bolt in the rear. My current trans is a TH350 so there is nothing to convert over like with the TH400. Next decision: My local trans guy wants $850 plus the old TH350 trans and he will swap me for a newly rebuilt TH350. The guy at Carlisle wants around $500 for a TH350 and I can resell the old TH350 or keep for parts. That's a $350 price difference. I like the idea of having my local guy do the build but $350 is a big difference in price. The Carlisle guy comes every year and sells transmissions and has been in business for many years. He will again be at Spring Carlisle (3 weeks). I am leaning towards the Carlisle option. Thoughts? Thanks!! Mike

If I go with a 700R is the downshift cable the only thing I need to change? Will it bolt up ok, torque converter ok, driveshaft ok, etc.?

His number is: (215) 663-0143 If you do call him let me know what you think. He sounds pretty knowlegeable and is willing to take the time to answer your questions. I just never dealt with him before. He also said that a TH400 weighs more than a TH350 and a TH350 uses less horsepower than a TH400. He suggested that since a TH350 also costs less money than a TH400 that maybe I would be better off with a TH350 instead of a TH400. Never knew those things before.

I am in the market for a new trans and wondered if this ad sounds good to you guys. He attends both Spring and Fall Carlisle meets and I have seen and spoken to him a few times in the past, just in case I ever needed a trans. He said he has been rebuilding them for 25+ years. Here is the ad: Chevy Turbo 400 =============== - Completely Rebuilt with top grade parts - Raybestos Stage I (Red) HD Clutches - Kevlar Rear Band - HD Front Band - All New Bushings - All New Thrust Washers - New Front & Rear Seals - All New Gaskets, Lip Seals and Rings - New Modulator - New Oil Filter - Choice of Transgo or Superior Shift Kit - Warranty - 6 Months or 6,000 miles - Price $ 595.00 (less if you have a core housing) I spoke to him on the phone a few nights ago and he said he is bringing (5) TH350s and (5) TH400s to Spring Carlisle in 3 weeks. Comments/Thoughts? Thanks!! Mike

Yes you can. That's how you get at the drive and driven gears of the trans. Obviously you have to remove the driveshaft and speedo cable first.

If I have to replace the camshaft and lifters then I may as well remove the engine from the car and convert to a hydraulic camshaft and lifters. So far the list to replace is: - Camshaft - Lifters - Pushrods How about the rocker arms? Anything else? Does someone sell a kit with all of this in it?

If I were to go with hydraulic lifters do I need to change out my current camshaft?

Forgive my lack of engine knowledge, but when you say "hyd roller" do you mean hydraulic roller cam and lifters?

After noticing that my engine was not running like it should I decided to remove the valve covers to take a look and found one rocker arm was pretty loose. The rocker arm nut was not loose or backed out. I decided to remove the intake this morning to look at the lifters. As I suspected, a lifter was shot. Here are some pics of my lifters. See if you can spot the bad one. http://s477.beta.photobucket.com/user/packard36/library/lifter%20problem Here is some background info on the engine: - 383 Stroker (less than 10k miles on the engine) - Camshaft (FED CS-1062R) - Lifters (FED HT-817) - Pushrods (8.300) (CMP 797116) - Magnum Rockers (CMP 141216) I need some advice in the following (2) areas: 1) What would cause this problem? - Poorly adjusted rocker arm? - Bad lifter? - Something else? 2) What would you do to fix the problem? - Just replace the lifters? - Replace the camshaft and Lifters? I did inspect the rocker arms and pushrods and they all appear to be in great shape. Also, all of the lifters (except 1) seem to be in good shape and are nice and clean. Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!! Mike

I managed to find a nice 10-bolt on Craigslist with a 2.67 ratio complete for $100. All I did was change the oil and put it in. Finding a good used complete rear is probably the cheapest way to replace a rear. There are two ads running right now on Craiglist for a 10-Bolt posi for $400 and a 12-bolt open for $500. Keep in mind that a BOP rear will also work. Good luck!! Mike

Hey Robert, The float just pulls out of the jug. It may not come out easily but it does not screw in. The float mechanism is the hardest part to find in working order so try not to damage it trying to remove it. Also, both wires from the float light run along the inner fender (along with the fiber optic wire) towards the firewall. Obviously the fiber optic wire goes through the firewall to the indicator inside, but the two bulb leads both go to the wiper motor since it only lights when the wiper switch is on just like Dan mentioned above. There should have been a special "jumper" connector on the end of the two bulb leads but it sounds like maybe yours is missing. The jumper would allow you to just plug into the already existing wiper motor plug but you can still connect them in if you don't have it. Is your missing? Mike

Hey Robert, If you are still looking for some help let me know what questions you have. I have done a couple of these myself and may have some tips for you. For example: - I found a guy on the internet that will make you a new fiber optic line to whatever length you need. It is a single strand wire and therefore it will be brighter than the original. I think the last one cost around $20. - The plastic jugs are kind of hard to get looking clean again. Since the only difference between a normal washer jug and the fiber optic one is the hole in the top I usually just order a new one and drill a hole in the top for the float tube. - I can tell you where to wire the live and ground wires into the windshield wiper motor so it will work correctly. - I replaced the original bulb with an LED bulb which shines much brighter and does not get as hot in the socket as the original bulb. Mike

Hey Robert, Have you tried to locate a nice used pigtail? Years ago I needed to replace mine and found several really nice ones available on ebay. Mike

I think it really comes down to the dealer who sold the engine. When I had my zz454 problems they never even asked if I installed it myself or not. I sent them the paperwork with some pics of the car and engine and they said they would take care of it. The entire engine was rebuilt with free parts and labor which is what the warranty is supposed to do. No complaints as far as the warranty was concerned. I would have been much happier if I never had the problem but now I feel better about the engine because I was able to meet and talk to the GM engine guy that rebuild the engine and he was more than happy to get his hands on a zz454 to play with. I'm sure he took his time on the rebuild because he knows I would be back if I had any problems. It was a pain but cost me nothing other than my time to get it resolved. Mike

Hey Rodney, I've used POR-15 and other products for years and here is what I have learned. These are just my personal opinions and observations: - POR-15 is a good product but pretty expensive. - Recently I have switched to a product called Chassis-Saver and it is just as good as POR-15 and at about 1/2 the cost. - Both products can be dangerous if you are not careful. Wear gloves, painting jump suit with long sleeves, respirator, and most of all good eye protection. Years ago I got a small drop of POR-15 in my eye and spent several hours in the Emergency Room getting my eye flushed followed by a visit to the Eye Doctor who had to use a large pin to remove the Rust Ring in my eye. Not a fun experience at all. - Either way I would prefer to spray the paint rather than using a brush. In my experience I've found that an even coat of either paint is better than a brush when it comes to durability. - To get to the top of the frame I prefer to jack up one side of the car at a time (after loosing up the body mounts one side at a time). - I would also suggest new body mount bushings from someone like PST since it will be easy to do at that point. - Cleanup and prep are always very important before any paint is applied. Lately I have been using a product called Rust-Mort as a prep after cleaning the area to be painted. It is a mild acid that attacks the rust in the pours of the metal. You just spray it on with a plastic spray bottle and wipe it in using a scotch brite pad. Let is dry 24 hours and sand lightly to remove any excess then paint. - POR-15 and Chassis-Saver are much more durable than Rustoleum. Any undercarriage Rustoleum work I did years ago I find myself re-doing because it didn't hold up of the years. Good luck!! Mike

I currently have a GM ZZ454 in my 70 El Camino and love it. I have more then enough HP and torque for my needs. They are supposed to put out 440 HP but an article in Chevy Performance a few years back says that dyno'ed it at just over 500 HP. This past summer I had the distributor gear go bad and I took it back to the GM dealer who I ordered it from and they completely rebuild the motor for free, parts and labor covered. Should it have happened in the first place? Maybe not. But it did and I was glad I had the GM warranty. When I purchased my engine they offered a 3-year, 100,000 mile warranty and no one came close to that anywhere else. In summary, I love the engine and am very pleased with the warranty. I also have a GM zz350 in my daily driver for the past 4 years and it has given me zero problems. Basically plug and play. If you have any other questions let me know any maybe I can answer them. Good luck!! Mike