What did you do to your Monte Carlo today?

[Scott S.]

21 minutes ago, Dtret said:

Yes I do. lol. That was the very first time I had the car out after I built it. 

Ditto !!!!

Had to try out the new overdrive transmission. 

Did it with both the 2.73 & 3.31's..... 

The math says I should be able to reach 153 mph....... But Montelishi just doesn't have the aerodynamics for it.

[Canuck]

Testing my rebuilt AM 8-track before final install.

mainly stock rebuild but added FM and an aux input. 4 new speakers.

 

[John S]

On 8/25/2024 at 10:23 AM, Dtret said:

454, th400 and 3:31 gears 

 

My tachometer must be way off. I have a Muncie four-speed, 3.31 gears but still the final drive ratio is 1:1. At 70 mph I’m 3300-3400 RPM. I’m going to have to get another tachometer, temporarily hook it up and see what the difference is. Thanks for posting that. 

[Chevy Dave]

I read somewhere on a Chevelle website  that after several decades tachs can loose the resistance in a resistor and give higher readings. My 70 factory tach was reading high. I purchased a reproduction factory tach, and now the readings seem to be where they should be.

[John S]

57 minutes ago, Chevy Dave said:

I read somewhere on a Chevelle website  that after several decades tachs can loose the resistance in a resistor and give higher readings. My 70 factory tach was reading high. I purchased a reproduction factory tach, and now the readings seem to be where they should be.

That may be the way I’m going to have to go. I will connect another good name brand tachometer to verify readings and I’m quite sure that’s the way I’m going to have to go. Then maybe buy another tachometer. Don’t want to pull the dash forward to do all that work but I am retired with nowhere to go and all day to get there. A while back I had a conversation with someone at a Summit car show. He told me some tachometers on older Chevrolets You could change out the resistor. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but that’s why they sell new tachometers.

[Dtret]

3 minutes ago, John S said:

That may be the way I’m going to have to go. I will connect another good name brand tachometer to verify readings and I’m quite sure that’s the way I’m going to have to go. Then maybe buy another tachometer. Don’t want to pull the dash forward to do all that work but I am retired with nowhere to go and all day to get there. A while back I had a conversation with someone at a Summit car show. He told me some tachometers on older Chevrolets You could change out the resistor. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but that’s why they sell new tachometers.

That’s a brand new cluster in my car. My car never had a tach originally. I’m not saying it’s correct but it’s a new one from a very reputable seller. 

[John S]

4 hours ago, Dtret said:

That’s a brand new cluster in my car. My car never had a tach originally. I’m not saying it’s correct but it’s a new one from a very reputable seller. 

If I can let me get your opinion on this. I read on the parts place site. They sell that tachometer. But they also state that standard points ignition and an HEI ignition put 11 to 14 V to the tach wire. I have the Pertronix ignition, the parts place states the pertronix ignition puts up to 18 V to the tach wire, don’t know how the voltage gets that high but that’s what they state. If that’s the case, the tachometer will read higher according to them.

[Big Block Travis]

After everybody got out of my way, I took off......

[Stuckin70s]

You paid for the whole speedometer... ya might as well use it!  😉

[Chevy Dave]

Why not take an accurate DC voltmeter and measure the voltage at the tach wire?

[Dtret]

6 hours ago, John S said:

If I can let me get your opinion on this. I read on the parts place site. They sell that tachometer. But they also state that standard points ignition and an HEI ignition put 11 to 14 V to the tach wire. I have the Pertronix ignition, the parts place states the pertronix ignition puts up to 18 V to the tach wire, don’t know how the voltage gets that high but that’s what they state. If that’s the case, the tachometer will read higher according to them.

I also have the Pertronix points eliminator. 

[Glen]

1 hour ago, Dtret said:

I also have the Pertronix points eliminator. 

Most clones do. 

[Dtret]

1 hour ago, Glen said:

Most clones do. 

At least I know that I did it right then. 😩

[Scott S.]

HEI distributors need a resistor to bring the original points type tachometers back to true..... One of Holley's affiliates make one. 

[Chevy Dave]

I am running a Pertronix 1181LS ignition with the 40011 Flame Thrower coil. I have bypassed the ballast resistor. I replaced the defective original factory tach with one from OPG. The tach is accurate and working perfectly. (Stock 70 SS 454)

[stangeba]

A bit off subject but a lesson worth hearing. (I think)

Don't use solid copper spark plug / coil wires with Pertronix or it will fail.

Now I know nobody uses them for decades but if you have a real old vehicle with copper wires, remember this. I think Copper wires last for many decades.....

I still have stock points and condenser in my 71 and just saw that I have two sets of points and one condenser in my glovebox.

[Scott S.]

Hey Bruce.....

The downside to copper wires is it's low heat co efficient. As with all good conductive metals, they just don't like the heat. 

[714024SPEED]

Hosed off the COVID Monte went to a local show was surprised on how many first gens we're there and all said they heard about Tom's passing and were sorry. Great day and a sad one also....some pictures last one of COVID when I got home

[FairlyRandom]

Continued work on the 383 swap. In the last 24 hours I: created a flexible heat shield for the steering boot (I'm not sure how tough this titanium fabric is. Hopefully it will hold up - time will tell).

Painted the alternator bracket and the power steering pump before installing both. Got all the vacuum lines run except 1 (ran out of hose). Shortened the plug wires that were waaaay long from Blueprint. Finished installing the dipstick, which required halfway disassembling the starter. Got heat boots on all the plug wires and got them all onto the plugs. And bent the shifter linkage to clear the headers.

Still much to do but the list is shorter every day! Hoping for first start this weekend!

 

Edited September 16, 2024 by FairlyRandom
Formatting

[Scott S.]

Andrew,

I've got the same titanium stuff on my plug wire ends and starter..... It's at least five years old and still there. 

It may not be as shiny as it used to be though. 

[FairlyRandom]

Thanks Scott - it was listed as a heat shield for motorcycle exhaust, to protect your legs from low pipes. Hoping that means it's fairly abrasion resistant 

Edited September 16, 2024 by FairlyRandom

[Scott S.]

The ones on the plugs is still very flexible.... And they rest right against the headers. 

The wrap around the starter had started to get crusty, but I think that's more likely from exposure to road dirt and an old oil leak. 

[Big Block Travis]

Swapped out my 134A to R12, what a difference, BURRRRRRRRRR!

I saw the outside of Glen's windows sweating and had to do the swap.

[Scott S.]

Glen likes to keep his windows sweating...... It keeps the bird poop from sticking. 

[Rob Peters]

Are the windows sweating from air conditioning or heavy breathing in side.

rob