Discussion Forum - Northstar Chevelle Club

jim larson · 2K+ Club

RE: 72 Chevelle Project hopfully done soon

Bowtieman427 · Active Member

I go to the Pine Island car show whenever I can. It is at the Bowling Alley not Main St. anymore (politics in small town). The sad thing is the A&W just closed. We use to go to the show then stop at A&W for a float.

http://www.pi-islandclassics.com/

2011 Calendar of sland Classics Events:
Saturday's starting at 4pm

May 21, June 4 & 18, July 2, 16, & 30, August 13, 20, & 27, September 10 & 24,

Special Event Nights:

August 20 - Antique Tractor Night

Usually a few Chevelles are there. The Rochester Corvette club comes a few times and bring a bunch of Vettes usually newer ones.

Bowtieman427 · Active Member

Quick question. Want to check the tranny and GVOD without Drive shaft hooked up. See if they spin as they should before putting all drivline and exhaust back in.
If I put the car in gear (fill tranny and GVOD with fluid) and let the tranny and OD turn for a little bit hoping they do what the should.
Will I have have any issues? Like fluid shooting out to the OD tailshaft.
The plan is to start car put in reverse varify it is spinning put in neutral varify it stoped spinning put in drive verify spinning turn car off take out of grear.
I do not want to do this and have fluid all over or some other thing not work or fail
How long does it usually take for the pump to cycle tranny fluid around ? and for tranny to warm up ?

Lost in the 60s · President

Bowtieman427 wrote:
Quick question. Want to check the tranny and GVOD without Drive shaft hooked up. See if they spin as they should before putting all drivline and exhaust back in.
If I put the car in gear (fill tranny and GVOD with fluid) and let the tranny and OD turn for a little bit hoping they do what the should.
Will I have have any issues? Like fluid shooting out to the OD tailshaft.
The plan is to start car put in reverse varify it is spinning put in neutral varify it stoped spinning put in drive verify spinning turn car off take out of grear.
I do not want to do this and have fluid all over or some other thing not work or fail
How long does it usually take for the pump to cycle tranny fluid around ? and for tranny to warm up ?
In a no-load situation the trans isn't going to warm up any faster than the engine. The OD may spill some lube out.....if the out put yoke is the same as a normal trans, get a spare yoke and shove it in. It shouldn't work out with just a few minutes run time to verify it works.

Bowtieman427 · Active Member

thanks Mitch, My Yoke is with the Drivesaft in transit. I will see if I can get a spare. If not I will run it without it and see what happens. Hoping the short duration will not hurt anything or leake out to much fluid.
if things spin I will be very happy : )
Got ARB in looks like the exhaust mounts did not come into play and fabricated and altered my Driveshaft loop it is about 2/3 up from the rearend Yoke. I hope that is Ok.
Left to do
1) put drive shaft in should be here Thursday
2) Install exhaust hoping for NO issues
3) Time engine check for leaks set carb up hope to do tonight (Open header running Fun) may late it warm up if my ears can take it.
4) set ARB (it is in but have to adjust)
5) Install hood take for test drive. May have found the 14" drop base solution : )

6) have to make bracket for overflow and install.

I do not want to deal with a converter issue or tranny issue. Had to reshim the starter and what PITA. can not fully drop the inspection plate without taking the headers off.

If all goes as planned should have all accept #6 done this weekend. Will not know till test drives, but this may be good to go to Rock Falls the may 21st.

Lost in the 60s · President

I have spare yokes for both TH350/manual trans and TH400's here, if you want to use one. I will be in St. Paul on Saturday with the Camaro Club and could bring them.

The loop should be fine where it is. It's position needs to be such that if a front u-joint fails, especailly at speed, it will prevent the shaft from falling onto the road and either launching the rear of the car or coming up thru the floor. Anything from mid-point forward will do that.

I'm sending good karma (or CARma) your way for things to fall in place for the 21st...

Bowtieman427 · Active Member

thanks Mitch found the yoke local. I started it up tonight got it semi warm about 130F no leaks when it stall and damn starter is still not shimmed right may have to bring it down a hair
: ( So back at it.

Bowtieman427 · Active Member

Got driveshaft in fits nice. Filled up GV OD. Had 3 issues. On the side installed System 1 oil filter changed oil and tightend the header bolts.
1) Damn starter works and then does not work keep removing and adding shims. When I set it up to spec it grinds on flex plate. I notice the starter shaft has some play which I do not like. It worked ok today added a 1/64" shim we will see tomorrow. Tyring to find a happy spot for it.
2) Mallory 685 box giving me headaches. Bypassed it for now put tach on coil (-) and it is workingl.
3) timing car was initially at 35 degrees at 1000RPM had to set it back tried to get it between 10-15 degrees. Weird thing here no kick back on starter but maybe that was why it was complaining and grinding. Adjusting carb checking timing running for a while fuel pressure going up. climbed to 12-13 lbs, I started adjusting bassically took the adjuster almost all the way out of the Mallory regualtor and still did not drop. Ran it for a while timed it best I could to 10-15 degrees about 1000-1100 idle.
This Fuel pressure thing may be the gauge also, but not sure I seen gas dripping out of carb down the throat at idle which I do nto think it normal.

It is an auto meter in the car with isolater under the hood or the fuel is heating up. I want to get mechanical FP gauge right off Regulator so I can see what is going on. Needless to say Exhaust is not in and nothinelse got done. 1 step forward 3 back. Got to order some more parts : )

-- Edited by Bowtieman427 on Saturday 7th of May 2011 11:29:23 PM

-- Edited by Bowtieman427 on Saturday 7th of May 2011 11:36:04 PM

SShink · 3K+ Club

Jim, is your flex plate new? I had a similar problem with mine except the flex plate was well used and the teeth had been chewed up pretty good, so depending on which area of the flex plate I set the gap at, the starter would either grind or not engage at all. I have a new one in there now, set the gap per the specs, and so far so good.

Bowtieman427 · Active Member

It was used but as good as new. Got it off CL from a person who just got it back from ATI. He was a racer and sent it into ATI to get SFI renewed it took so long he ended up buying a new one waiting to get it back. It looked BN. It had no marks now it has some but nothing serious. It was working well last night. Perhaps check later today.

It will not grnd now but it will also not return. I will try 1/64" shim. I had it where it would just slip back by hand, but then it would start grinding. I wonders if I can fit in a stagger type with the nose support. I do not think it can be done : ( headers and clearance issues with kick out pan. 30 min jobs become hours price you pay for performance. The shaft and gear on his starter had some play. So I may bite the bullet and get one from DB Electric

-- Edited by Bowtieman427 on Monday 9th of May 2011 12:02:17 AM

Bowtieman427 · Active Member

Think starter issue is solved went witha DB electical

http://www.dbelectrical.com/p-5809-sbc-bbc-chevy-3-hp-high-torque-mini-starter-168-tooth-pm300-sdr0031.aspx

For the price this thing is pretty nice. I ordered it Monday and was here on Tuesday. They are out of TN but have a warehouse in Blaine, MN. This one fits better the the other mini starter I had cleared my headers and kickout Moroso pan ncely wiring it was a lot tougher (bendin 1/0, 6 ga, & 10 ga with headers inthe way was not easy .
I think cheaper ones with the nose and gear along with stagger bolt are a better mechanical design then the straight across full agustable clocked ones.

Devance my distributer to 14 degrees mechanical timing hoping I can get the engine to run 20-22 degress intial ok gettin 34-36 total time. I have no vacuum advance. When I first fired it I was at 30 degrees intial and it liked that a lot. Got it down to 10-12 it is NOT vary happy. Have not checked anything yet will do it when I get home today. 2:30AM when I finished last night do not think neighbors would like it : )
Tonight hope to check timing & then run the return fuel line install the new reg and some line. I am waiting for some fule line to complete may have come in today.

SShink · 3K+ Club

In my experience... more radical cams like more initial timing!

The more radical, the more initial advance. 10 degrees is more of stock engine setting and I'm not surprised that your engine doesn't like it. My last 454 with a mild cam liked 18 degrees initial advance.

That's my .

Lost in the 60s · President

If the initial timing was 30° when you started, wasn't that set during the dyno session ?? I would put it back close to that. I had a radical (at the time) cam in a LS6 and it liked 22° initial. I'm surprised yours runs at all with only 12.

Bowtieman427 · Active Member

Long story short. I had a crank trigger (locked out at 34 degrees) and was going to go with that. I love the crank trigger once set it does not move and it is dead on no bouncing around. We set it at 34-36 degrees and it worked well. When I put my pulleis on I had alignment issues. 3 options to fix
1) Need 3/8" H20 pump spacers.. Was not sure how that would come into play with electirc fan at the time spacings.
2) new crank pulley spaced 3/8" back. Would have to be custom made & this would my perferred way to deal withit. I will ping around to see if someone can make one witout braling the bank. Any ideas hear would be cool. currnet is a March pulley I picked up used. Also have to get box figiured out ot run with it.
3) Go back to distirbutor for timing. Good as I can get it going now.
Plus I have been having issues with my box to retard timing on start up : (
I would like to go back to crank trigger eventually.
I thought 20-22 would be a good starting point given my setup. Just got done starting it up and set it to around 20 and it was pretty good. Got set carb Idle around 1000 RPM let it warm up good shut it off and it started up again nice when hot did not have to touch the gas. Shortly after I ran out of gas : ( I guess this is a good time to lower the tank and put in the return for new regulator. I really hope to have this thing driving this weekend. NO more 1 step forward 2 back Please.
It was very unhappy at 12 degrees it was werth checking out if it could do it.