These pages will wrap up the projects started over the past few years. We know that it's far from complete though...
Click HERE for update.
01-29-04 - Murphy's Law, and all of its corollaries, follows me wherever I go and in whatever I do.
The Vette is in the transmission shop to remedy the transmission problem/oil leak. We pulled off the bearing retainer and what do you think we found? We find that I did, after all, install the retainer properly when I put everything together back in May or June of last year. However, we also discover that the retainer is obviously not the correct retainer/collar for my application, i.e., the ROD 6-speed. The part number is correct on the box, the part number is correct on my invoices, and the part number is something that I checked before I installed it, way back in May of 2002, but this one isn't a 61-613. I don't know what it is for, but the area where there should be a seal, around the input shaft at the bearing race, there was an O-ring, but no real seal; and no way to install one without having the collar machined.
I got on the phone with Tilton (Jeez, I even had their telephone number on my cell phone! ) and had their technician talk to my technician. The collar's in the mail, and we all know what that means.
Maybe I'll get it back tomorrow, if they got the new collar on the big brown truck today. If not, I won't see it again until Monday. But hey, we're getting closer!
02-02-04 - I got it back today and no longer have a leaking emanating from anywhere on the vehicle. It's about friggin' time too!!
Now I can finish the interior and get the thing on a dyno to finally dial it in properly. I also solved the intake problem by utilizing a piece of aluminum tubing cut to size. Should work just fine.
02-04-04 - Okay, dig this...
I'm at the body shop today, having the floors done, when I get a phone call from Mike at the transmission shop (Torrance Transmissions) saying that Tilton is telling him that they're not going to refund any money to him for the (incorrect) collar assembly we sent back, in exchange for the correct one. They are telling him that the assembly was an old assembly that they don't even make anymore, and haven't made in five or six years, and on top of that they are disputing the condition of the assembly! I mean, how much damage can be inflicted on a heavy piece of metal, especially when I was the only one to handle it and I know that it wasn't damaged in any way. There may have been a few marks on it from insertion into the bellhousing hole, but that is to be expected and considered normal I would imagine.
At any rate, being obsessive/compulsive comes in handy when you are talking receipts and other various paperwork, including the original packing.
I got on the phone with Casey this afternoon and before you know it, after a few minutes of conversation in which I gave him the Customer PO # as well as the Sales Order #, I was able to once again breathe a little easier; not having to spend another needless $150, or rather, an unfair expense on my part. I mean, jeez, if it wasn't for bad luck...
I don't think there has been one thing throughout this project that has gone without a hitch of some sort. Wasted time and wasted money...
The bottom line is though, I would still have to give Tilton Racing some credit for being a company that seems to care about its customers. Once before, I had to call Tilton technical support when I was installing the engine/trans, and even though they were unable to answer the phone and I had to leave a message, they returned the call in a matter of an hour or so. Good people to do business with all-in-all. I wouldn't hesitate to do business with them again.
02-27-04 - The saga continues...
Today, being such a beautifully clear, albeit windy day, I decided to take the Vette to Carlos Vivas' shop (C&S Restorations) to deliver a club member roster to him, and show off the car in the process. I also wanted to stop by another gearhead shop and show it off there too, which I did, and I even did a pretty good burnout there in the driveway when I left too!
When I turned down the street to Carlos's shop in second gear, I nailed it to see if the clutch was slipping as bad as it does in the higher gears. I wanted to see if it'd break the tires loose or slip. I told y'all about that didn't I, that the clutch was slipping?
Anyhow, I nailed it and it seemed to be holding okay, and although it didn't spin the tires it didn't appear to be slipping all that bad, plus I wasn't smelling any burned clutch...
When I hit around six grand (the shift light came on and that's where I've got it set - around 6200-6300 rpm) and went for third gear, it entered third, but the clutch never came back. The pedal does because it's got its own spring return, right.
Ain't this a *****! Now what??
My only guess so far, after a quick visual to determine that I had hydraulic fluid (which I did - it was full) and that the clutch master cylinder pushrod was functioning properly, is that somehow I either over-extended the hydraulic throwout bearing, or that some part of the Centerforce dual-friction clutch assembly broke.
Hi-Ho, hi-ho, it's back to the shop we go...
Take a lesson from this kids; when you build a hot rod the fun never ends, nor does spending money on it.
Note: I just realized that I speak of hitting six grand as though it was always this way; I say it so casually in conversation anymore. Hell, I can remember when 4800-4900 rpm was really exerting the old L-98.
03-08-04 - The capricious one is back, and as ornery as ever.
There was nothing wrong with the release bearing, nor was there anything wrong with the cutch pedal stop that I fabricated. There was nothing wrong with the clutch assembly (the pressure plate) either, although the disk was soaked - as we already knew it would be.
Remember I said that I checked the hydraulic fluid when this occurred? I'm not so stupid that I wouldn't check something like that first. Well, the feed line to the release bearing was rubbing on something and the rubbing wore a hole in it. The funny thing is that when I checked the reservoir the fluid level was good. The master cylinder must have just been moving hydraulic fluid back and forth in the line is all I can figure. It would push the air out with fluid, and when I engaged the clutch again, the master must have been pulling the fluid back, or at least keeping the level even.
At any rate, it is running again, sort of...
I stopped by Will's shop on the way home and shut it down. I was there for a while, and then when I went to leave, the frigging thing wouldn't start! It sounded like a dead battery.
I was watching the gauges on the way there too, and it was charging alright - right around 14 amps. What the hell??
I figured that they probably left the doors or hatch open for too long and it just ran the battery down. I dunno.
However, it still wouldn't start even after I had it on a charger for a half-hour or so. I continued to charge it for another half-hour, then it started, but when I got it home and tried it again, it cranked fine for a while, then when I tried it again it was dragging like it had a dead battery. Got me to wondering if I'm gonna have a heat-soak problem now with my starter.
I've got it on a charger now, and will bring it up to full charge and take it from there, but I may still be forced to use a heat blanket down there. Weird, it's a new high-torque mini-starter; I didn't think I'd be affected by header heat.
03-12-04 - Ah geez, somebody up there hates me. Even with the best of 'em, I still seem to get screwed.
I went out and purchased a wrap (insulating shield) for the starter and installed it today. I figured that even if the starter wasn't the culprit, another forty bucks to ensure I won't have heat-sink problems in the future couldn't hurt.
After I wrapped the thing around the starter and put the positive cable back on, I noticed the ground cable, which appeared to be a little too close the the header for my comfort, so I tried to move it away from the tube. What's this?? Why is it so friggin' loose?
I started pulling on it and lo and behold what do I find but that it was not re-attached to the block/bellhousing area where I last installed it. It is a second ground that I added when I moved the battery to the rear. They forgot to bolt it back on when they re-installed the bellhousing last week. The thing needs an extra ground with the set-up I have.
I re-installed it to the block/bellhousing and everything seems to be good now. Now maybe we can finally start (or rather - finish) dialing it in.
Someday I'll get it running the way it should.
03-15-04 - 'Twas a nice day, so I took the roof off and ran some errands around the South Bay today. All seems well for the moment.
I do have a slight miss, but it responds immediately if hammered! I have a feeling that my wires, although relatively new, are just not up to snuff with the new electronics, so I'll probably be replacing them in the not-to-distant future. Gotta check it out further.
I wanted to try some other wiring arrangements anyhow, to see what I could come up with to tidy up the engine. I may even get some longer lengths of braided hose for the breather lines from the valve covers.
One thing I thought I'd dislike, but as it turns out, I actually do like, is setting off peoples alarms when driving by. Happens all the time now.
03-18-04 - I was sitting a the red light on PCH ...
... waiting to turn onto Pier Ave and take it back home today, when a couple of younger guys appeared in front of me walking in the crosswalk. One of them was eyeballing me, and shaking his finger in a "no-no" sort of fashion. Then, when he was on the driver side (my side) he gave me a "thumbs up" and a little grin.
Man, sure is a good feeling to get compliments like that. A couple of other guys were ogling it and complimenting me over at Will's shop just a little earlier today.
And what a great way to relieve some tension!
03-19-04 - Here's a poser (for me at least) ...
I noticed at one point yesterday, just before I got home, that the oil temperature reading was around 250° while the coolant temperature was right around 190°. So today before I took it out, and before I even started it, I checked the oil and topped it off just to be sure I had a full pan of oil, which by rights would keep the temperature lower, simply due to the fact that there is more volume. I wasn't that low in the first place, and the only reason it's low to begin with is the thing leaves its mark, just like a Harley. Drip, drip...
At any rate, I was coming over the hill from Toy4Hal's place in Palos Verdes and running around 3500-4000 rpm in fourth gear, uphill, just flowing with traffic and listening to how sweet the thing sounds, when I happened to notice my oil temperature gauge reading around 270°!
The coolant temperature was right around 190° and the day itself wasn't hot at all (it was around 65-70° today). The temperature started to come down right away, and I'm running synthetic, so there really isn't a problem, yet. I'm just wondering what in the hell could be the cause of this latest conundrum.
Around town, the coolant temperature stays around 190° while the oil temperature usually runs around 240° when fully warmed up.
I realize that the engine, making horsepower, is gonna get a little warmer than usual, but why just the oil? I'm running the TPiS (Earl's) oil cooler too, right out there in front of the radiator.
I guess the thermostat in the adapter could be sticking, but...
I do have my lines wrapped with Earl's Flameguard from the front crossmember to where they enter the cooler adapter. I didn't think the adapter was that close to the headers, and even so, it doesn't seem that it would heat the oil that much.
I still don't have it entirely dialed-in, so the timing may be the culprit here. Makes sense when you think of it. I was supposed to hook-up with my TEC3 rep so he could give me an upgrade on the firmware, because I'm still having sporadic gremlins appear that prevent the computer from getting a signal to start. However, I never heard from him.
Remember Al Capp's "Dogpatch" comics, where there was the guy who always had a black cloud over his head following him around - Joe Btfsplk? Well, that's me!
Joe Btfsplk is very simply the world's biggest jinx. He walks around with a perpetually dark rain cloud a foot over his head. Once he appears on any scene, dreadfully bad luck befalls anyone in his vicinity.
Though well-meaning and gentle, his reputation inevitably precedes him, so Joe is a very lonely and feared little man.
He is also a character with an apparently unpronounceable name, but creator Al Capp pronounced Btfsplk with a "raspberries" sound, also known as a "Bronx cheer."
03-20-04 - Ya know, in mulling this over last night as I tried to sleep ...
I remembered that the coolant temperature was still in the normal range when the oil temperature was high. That made me wonder if maybe it is the oil cooler adapter that is transferring heat. I mean, around town the headers certainly aren't glowing red, but when I was running up that hill with the revs up around four thousand, the headers were probably pretty red, and that may be transferring the heat to the adapter.
03-21-04 - I looked around today, and I doubt very seriously if any heat is transferring to the cooler adapter, or anything else for that matter.
The knock sensor wire is as close if not closer to the headers as the oil temperature capillary tubing. Also, as stated, both of the oil lines are wrapped. Leaves me with the thermostat as a possible bad actor. Hey, how many other brand-new parts have I already gone through that were bad actors right out of the box. Ol' Man Murphy ain't got nothin' on me!
Why else would the coolant temperature be normal while the oil temperature is skyrocketing? Remember, this cooler isn't tied into the radiator as was the stock unit; it's an independent item. Besides, that wouldn't make any difference, because we still are dealing with two different temperatures in the same work environment; i.e., the engine under exactly the same conditions. If it isn't a defective thermostat, it's gotta be a defective gauge.
03-22-04 - I actually had two of them arcing when I checked it today ...
The usual suspect, #7, was burned through because that one is almost touching the tube. The other one was #8 which had never given me a problem before; it's not even that close to the tube. I think I need Jacobs Electronics Pro Fit Ceramic Boots:
Jacobs wires use superior heat resistant ceramic boots, available in a kit that allows the customer to finish the spark plug wires to the correct length "in the field."
Using Jacobs Uni-Clip technology, the customer can achieve a high quality "factory" like finished end! Ideal for custom engines, boats, and RVs. An ideal track side accessory for the serious racer just in case they need to quickly make up a replacement wire!
Jacobs wires are 8.5 mm silicone jacketed, spiral wound metal center cores with super low resistance. Available in straight or right angle.
03-23-04 - Why should I be surprised?
It didn't even cause me a moment's concern today when, as Rick was attempting to upgrade the firmware for the Electromotive TEC3, and the laptop he was using froze up and crashed. What good would it do? I have just got to face up to the fact the the rest of my life isn't going to be easy.
Now Rick's gotta send the TEC3 computer back to the manufacturer for reprogramming I guess. At any rate, the car ain't going anywhere for a few days at least. We even had to push it back into the garage today after the crash.
I may be forced to go with the Accel "shorty-style" plugs, or one of them at least, at the #7 hole; it's really close in there yet.
I initially didn't use the shorty plugs because if I remember correctly, they were not available in the long tip style (3/4"), which is what Edelbrock recommended for the heads I have. I should have never switched head choices and I wouldn't have this problem. I can't even remember why we switched head choices, but I'm sure it had to do with flow characteristics and what I had planned for the engine.
The shorty-style plugs are available now in the extended tip I guess, so maybe I'll try that. I certainly can't continue to keep frying boots.
03-24-04 - Maybe this will work ...
Okay, I ordered a set of these today, along with a couple of replacement boots of course.
Full Metal Jacket ShieldsFully polished aluminumAvailable in 90°, 135° and 180° configurationProvides heat protection beyond our finest bootsPair packedFits most boots, including Taylor Pro Boot04-02-04 - Insert picture of head banging against wall here ...
Yesterday we finally got the computer back from Electromotive and installed in the car. I took it to the Vette Set meeting last night and it ran fine, both there and back.
However, I got in it today to take it out for a while and the damn thing wouln't start again - I'm not getting a signal from the crank sensor for some reason! This is the same problem I've been having with it ever since I got it back on the road. What the hell is going on with my luck???
I had enough charge in the battery (over 10 volts when cranking) for it to start, but I gave it a half-hour or so of full charging with the charger just for the hell of it and to eliminate that as a possible problem. No good, it still didnt show it receiving a signal.
I don't know if it's a concern, but ever since we had the thing installed I've had a trouble code showing. Rick didn't seem to be concerned about it, but the code I see is a Code 34, which to the Electromotive TEC3 computer is interpreted as "low battery voltage". That would mean it has to be less than 7.5 volts though; I never see less than 10 volts while cranking, and always a full 13-14 volts while running.
Still banging head ...
04-04-04 - Beautiful day for a ride...
I fooled around with it yesterday, but didn't really do anything or see anything wrong, yet the Corvette started when I turned the key. Go figure!
I took it out yesterday in search of other cruisers, but it was a gray day and I didn't see anyone except for a lone '64 Fuelie when I was coming back up PCH from Hawthorne. It was a nice original Vette, and he seemed to like mine as well.
Today the weather was gorgeous and warm, so I took it out again, and this time took my camera along in the event I found a spot to shoot some photos. It didn't take long before I decided to take it up to the Palos Verdes peninsula overlooking the South Bay. Good choice I think.
Click the images to view them larger.
I sometimes envy the guys with the quiet ones though. This thing is definitely not going to be comfortable for any long-distance driving due to the interior resonance, but not only that, if I have to accelerate in traffic to stay with the flow, it is LOUD! ...and if ya don't move right away when traffic does in LA, you lose.
But I love it!! To borrow from David Freiburger, Editor-in-Chief at Hot Rod magazine:
"Forget about all those namby-pamby cars with balanced performance, cornering prowess, braking accumen, and all those other slide rule sensibilities that have nothing to do with making fire, noise, smoke and going scary quick in a straight line."
But, I do have most of those things he mentioned - mine goes around corners and stops with the best of 'em, as well as going "scary quick" in a straight line.
04-10-04 - You'd tell me if it was getting too "flashy", wouldn't you?
Every time I open the hood now I feel that I must explain why I have all that blue under there now. The fact of the matter is that when I finally figured out what to do with my intake ducting, I had a choice of blue or red, so I got some blue hose. Then, when it came time to get new wires (I wanted to be sure that my wires were good. ) I got blue because I figured that since I went with blue hose I should use blue wires.
I used some adhesive-backed 2000° tape (not that there's any adhesive left on it ) around the header where the #7 plug is giving my boots the hotfoot. Seems to be working - at least, I haven't fried this one yet!
I still have a minor high-speed miss that I haven't figured out yet, but it ran fine today going to Long beach and back. Ran like a champ! I can't wait to get it fully dialed-in - man, it's gonna scream!
As a matter of fact, I got myself kicked out of Harbor Chevrolet's parking lot because of all that horsepower. I knew as I was going there that I would do a burnout or two for the guys - gotta show off, right?
Anyhow, I laid down about twenty feet of black stripes, and then I parked it and opened the hood while we stood around talking about it.
Next thing I knew I see the service manager heading our way...
"Who just did that?"
Me: "C'mon now, you know I did it."
Him: "Leave the lot." Turns and starts walking away.
Me: "Are you serious? No harm done."
Him: "You have to leave the lot, now." Starts walking away again.
Me: "Okay. What's your name?"
Him: "John So-and-so, service manager of Harbor Chevrolet."
Me: "Okay John. Have a nice day."
Someone was on a power trip this morning, and mustn't have liked my Corvette's power intimidating his. So I laid down a couple of more sets (twice) as I pulled out of the lot.
Seriously though, he had to have been on some kind of power trip. We don't do that often in that lot, and anybody else would have come up and said something to the effect that we shouldn't do that on the lot due to insurance reasons (or something), and warn us that if we did it again we would be forced to leave. What's wrong with that approach?
Boys will be boys when it comes to their toys.
04-15-04 - Next stop, the dyno...
We fine-tuned and adjusted the timing and fuel curves today on the streets of the South Bay, next step is to get it on a chassis dyno and pull a couple of WOT runs in a controlled environment - open roads and free-flowing traffic are rare things to come by in Los Angeles these days. I think we recently topped something like nine million people here!
Rick had the Corvette pretty-well on target with his initial programming; we only had to make a few minor changes.
I still get a funny feeling when there's a cop behind me though whle I'm driving this thing. I keep expecting to be pulled over for excessive noise or something because it ain't quiet, that's for sure!
Not to worry though, I've had police cars behind and around me on several different occasions, and so far not one of them has even batted an eye.
04-19-04 - I hope this will be the answer to my problem with boot melt...
I think we're on the right track with the rajah clips. I'd say for sure we were on target if the porcelain part of the boot went just another 1/8" or so toward the plug, then I'd know I'd be alright.
I think this will fit in there just fine, and when combined with some 2000° tape helping, I think we beat the "boot melt."
In researching "rajah clips", I came across this item from Jim Wangers' The Royal Bobcat site:
Quote:
8-Rajah Clips, 8-Spark Plug Boots = $25.00
Only twenty-five bucks! Can't touch them at that now, but then, $25 was a lot of cash back then for a poor hot rodder.
Check out Wangers' site; it makes for some interesting reading.
04-27-04 - Why does my oil temperature rise when I am cruising at around 3500-4000 rpm? Around town and in traffic, even on a hot day such as today, the oil temperature runs right around 235-240°, but if I run the engine at higher rpms the temperature starts to rise until I'm looking at 270° or more! The coolant temperature at this point is usually right around 220° which is obviously fine.
If the oil temp starts getting high, all I have to do is lower the rpm, or slow down, and the temperature returns to normal shortly thereafter. I cruised around today for a while and got it up to normal (230° ) operating temperature, and then hosed the cooler down with cool water, and the oil temp started coming down immediately. This indicates that my oil cooler is installed and functioning properly, right?
Will suggested that I add a fan to the front of the cooler, but geez, ain't it right out there in front of everything as it is? How much more could I blow on it?
I purchased the check valve for the cooler return line, an option that Earl's offers. I wondering if I could possibly be pushing so much oil through there at higher rpms, that I might be shutting the cooler bypass valve, then when the rpms come down again, the bypass valve re-opens. It's a thought I guess.
05-01-04 - The Vette's running like a champ! It's just askin' to be let loose, but I'm not quite finished with the electronics yet. We've got some trouble codes showing and it's got everyone scratching their heads. The main concern is the "Intermittent Low Battery Voltage", which shouldn't show unless I get lower than 8 volts, although I never have seen less than 10 volts, and that was at cranking.
We even re-wired the TEC3 and the DFUs directly from the battery. That eliminated some "noise" and the car has never run better. He also had the cam sync sensor checked as "MAG" in the software instead of "Hall Effect" as mine should be set. It was but a minor problem.
05-07-04 - The car's still running great, and I've still got some electrical "noise" that's interfering with something, 'cause I still have a few codes showing, although as I stated - the car's running great so the codes ain't causing no harm I guess.
It was kinda serendipitous today too, because I got a call from Harry Khodanian, who used to be with Morgan Motorsports. He's now with the LAPD and is in charge of running their dyno sessions, and is also in the process of opening his own dyno shop. Gee, how'd he know that was my next move?
Trouble is, he's out in the Valley, and I'm down here at the beach.
I still haven't installed the check valve in the oil cooler return line, so it's still acting up (gettin' hot!) from time to time, but I'm confident that I'll figure it out before long.
05-15-04 - I haven't installed the check valve yet but I just had to express my pleasure with this Beast; it's finally getting to the point where it's all coming together. The minor issues (electrical noise) have yet to be addressed, but as stated - that's minor. I would not hesitate to drive this to the Corvette Action Center gathering in Auburn, Indiana this week, if only I had the money to get there. This thing uses a lot of fuel now!
I had it out and about on the streets and freeways of Los Angeles this morning, and it behaved so nicely...
In traffic my coolant temperature never went past 210° but as soon as I started moving the temperature started dropping right away, and when I was at speed it came down to around 165-170°.
Meanwhile the oil temperature was doing its thing where it stayed around 220° around town, but when I took the revs up and held them the temperature started climbing. From all of the research I've been doing regarding this phenomenom; it is not at all unusual in engines such as mine, and as long as I'm running synthetic oil it shouldn't pose a serious threat - not with the temperatures I've seen, of which the highest I've ever noticed was 270°, one time.
This thing's gonna get me in trouble sometime though - it's so damn quick now! If I try to go slow I have to keep it in a lower gear, which keeps the rpms up around 2500-3000 rpm, and that makes the car very LOUD.
When I go fast enough to put the car in a higher gear to get the rpms down so the car is quiet, I'm going too fast!
The Gypsy told me... "I envision speeding tickets in your future."
05-31-04 - A couple of shots taken after I lowered the rear by about an inch or so. The last one is a shot of the AOE 6 - the Navy's largest supply ship. It just happened to be in the South Bay when I shot these pictures.
06-04-04 - It's Dyno Time!
We tweaked a few A/F numbers today, after we discovered why my oxygen sensor wasn't functioning - more on that in a minute. The driveablity is much improved, although it wasn't all that bad to begin with; most of the time it was taking out more fuel than necessary giving me a lean condition. Now when I come off idle, when leaving a traffic stop, it doesn't have that momentary stumble that it once had. We're getting closer; I just wish I could get him to spend more time with me on it, which brings me to the point of this post...
It looks like I'll finally get it to the dyno shop on Tuesday morning.
Rick's got another guy he's going to be tuning, so he'll arrange some time for mine as well. I just hope Mr. Murphy doesn't decide to join us that day.
As for the problem I was having with my oxygen sensor, the problem stemmed from the fact that neither of us remembered to upgrade my laptop when we updated the firmware in the TEC3.
Therefore, when I uploaded a new .bin file to the TEC3 from my laptop, it reverted to the older system and the oxygen sensor wouldn't function (It wasn't recognized I guess. ).
Of course when Rick talked to the tech person at Electromotive, he had to take some flak for not catching that sooner, though at first he did try to evade the tech guy's question as to what the answer was in the first place. Wouldn't you?
06-08-04 - Disheartening to say the least...
Go ahead, make fun of me all you want, but whatever you do, do not follow my lead if you want to build an engine that makes horsepower.
Even if I add eighteen percent back to the final numbers, I still only come up with a little over 450 horsepower at the flywheel, not the 530+ we expected to see.
As you can see, I pulled a maximum horsepower reading of 387.2 at around 6000 rpm, with peak torque at 406.3 at around 3500-4500 rpm. I don't know what else we could be missing, but we're not giving up yet.
Rick tells me that I've got my plugs gapped a little wide at .035 and that it would be better at around .028 with the compression ratio I'm running. Another thing that was overlooked that could be a problem - I forgot to check to see that the throttle body is opening fully. That'll keep me from making power, eh?
I just wish I had more money; it was another two-hundred dollars for the dyno time today, not counting Rick's tuning services.
06-09-04 - Did I hurt something?