Father & son having fun

 Today I decided to finally get all the plumbing done in the engine compartment.  This included the fuel lines and Power Steering / Hydro-Boost.  I went with a remote reservoir since it wasn't clear how the return would do coming from two devices.  The lines are made from Russell PowerFlex product line.  Since there was a complete lack of inventory for 6 months on the 10AN (low pressure side of the pump), I went with their basic braided line.   Although I don't have pictures in this post, I also completed the fuel lines to the configuration shown below.  I still need to get some fuel and bypass the engine to flush out all the lines and set the line pressure.  Not much longer now until we light off the new engine.

Today was an interesting day!  First of all, I brought the body and chassis back together.  Secondly, I now have a lot more space to work after stacking the body on the chassis.  I have a tendency to work all out which also leads to all my tools left out.  I see this as a two to three day process to organize the space.   Now the fun begins:   Lots of plumbing for the hydroboost Mount the remote power steering reservoir Resolving the clearance between the hydroboost and valve cover (thinking about angling the unit up 3 degrees) Plumbing the fuel regulator and filter to the fuel rails.  I decided to do a full loop up to the engine to mitigate any heat issues. Install the Vintage Air system Install the Holley Terminator X Max New differential installed and ready to go!  

 No, it's true!  The car is going back together heading straight to being on the road again.  So, the engine compartment is painted (Blade Silver - 2017 Corvette Silver)...I got tired of thinking about what color.  Started on the wiring harness and populating some of the system components.  The plan is to put the body back on the frame and work through all the systems (drive the car) over the summer and then finish painting the overall car in the fall.   Completed the bed liner coating on the underside (noise and vibration mitigation) Enjoying this 3M AccurSpray (2.0) spray gun (Zero Cleanup) - pitch nozzle and cup. I told you I had ordered a new differential, and I did.  However, Corvette Central let me down, multiple times (delivery date was pushed out twice).  The excuse for COVID causing delays is no longer an excuse after a year.  If you haven't figured out the new supply chain cycle after a year, you are just lying.  As they s...

 Yes, even though I never expect to change the clutch in this car, in my remaining lifetime, but I figured, while the body was off, I might as well.  My son may need it at some point in his life.  So, I bought these nice fitting flanges that just need welded in place. Yes, I followed the instruction to the letter in this exercise (almost) Link to Flange Supplier

The weather has been really enjoyable here in Houston this winter. We've been averaging high 60's to low 70's for most days.  So, I have no excuses for not getting things done.   I was able to sell the old engine on Craig's list without any wacko interaction and installed the new LS3 over the past few days.  Actually, the guy that bought the old engine was really cool and enjoyed the conversation.  I really needed to get these swapped out because space is at a premium right now and it's starting to get on my nerves.   While standing there thinking about how I don't ever want to pull this thing apart again, I started to wonder about the gearing in the rear (factory 4.10 gears).  After reviewing a lot of comments on the internet and checking the shift timing on my C7, I decided to order a new rear with 3.55 gears.  So, thanks to those that offered up concern with the current configuration.  This will drop my highway RPMs from ~2400 to ~200...

 So, now that I've learned how this new gas impacts a gas tank and components,  I started over with a different approach.  After purchasing a new tank (again), I used a product called POR15 gas tank lining to protect the bare metal (  POR15 ). Secondly, found a stainless steel fuel level sensor to further mitigate corrosion from ethanal.  Lastly, I decided to move the fuel pump outside the tank even though I wanted to mitigate noise from the pump.   During the CJ7 Jeep project, I used the Holley HydraMat to reduce the chance of air ingestion on a fuel injection conversion.  The mat is a little pricey but it also serves as a 15 micron filter (  HydraMat ).  Looking at the previous new tank, the second new tank had some changes like the tubes they added to minimize fuel movement out of the reservoir in a lateral G condition.  The pictures that follow show the tank an components going into the new tank. HydraMat on pickup port Stainl...

 Ok, so, don't leave gas in the gas tank for extended period of time (especially todays gas - ETHONAL)...thank you government!  So, all of the pictures you're going to see were parts that were new when I installed them about 3.5 years ago. You can see part of the fuel pump pickup screen, in the fuel injection reservoir, that was dissolved after sitting.

Since I bought the long block version of the LS3, I needed to dress out a couple systems separately.  I was so happy to see this long block version come available because it saved me a lot of money!  The complete LS3 (fully dressed) goes for $9.2K while the long block version is selling for $5.8K (see links below) Dressed: ( Link ), Long Block: ( Link ) This approach made sense since the accessory drive  needed some special attention, given it's proximity to the upper control arm mount.  Previously, I pulled out the heater connections on the water pump, tapped the holes, and installed plugs ( previous post ).  I still needed to locate new ports but never got to that point with the prior setup.  Since that time, Holley came out with this setup which affords me room for the AC compressor (currently interference with the inner fender well) and addressed the issue related to the heater port location: As for the intake manifold, I did a little fenagling to minim...

 I spent a few minutes explaining the plan for the drivetrain to Brandon and it made me curious.  So, spent a few minutes on Excel to get the numbers out of my head and see a visual representation of our system.  That activity resulted in the following table: (TCET5009) Luckily, I took a picture of the transmission packaging when it arrived because I can't find file with all the receipts after the move...just need more time.  Anyway, now I know the true gear ratios of this trans.  This is a problem when you take years to do a build.  I'm glad I went through the calculations again because I had forgotten the transmission gear ratios.  Turns out, I hadn't used the correct final gear ration in an earlier calculation in this blog.

Ok, heading down the path to getting the car painted but wanted to work through all the systems.  This will ensure no modifications are needed once painted.  I decided to go with a hydroboost brake system for more clearance, no vacuum disruption, more braking force.  Also, after the Jeep project, it was made clear to me that I very much wanted power steering.  For some reason manual steering didn't seem like a problem when I was younger.  So, the Jeep and now the C2 have been upgraded to power steering.

 Ok, as promised, work is progressing on the C2.  I need this blog to pressure me enough to progress and not get complacent on the cars.  It's hard to stay focused since the weather is great here in Houston now and having a CJ7 and C7 to choose from, to tool around town, it's easy to be distracted. Anyway, I ordered the new LS crate engine earlier this week.  The original plan was to use the salvage yard pull until I had time to decide on what I really wanted in the car.  That has gone out the window because I don't want to pull this car apart again, if possible.  Below are the specs...remember, this is my retirement fun car.  I wanted something drivable and fun both. LS3 6.2L engine, 525 horsepower: TECH SPECS Part Number:  19301360 / NEW # 19369338 Engine Type:  LS-Series Gen IV Small-Block V-8 Displacement (cu in):  376 cu in (6.2L) Bore x Stroke (in):  4.065 x 3.622 (103.25 x 92mm) Block (P/N  12623967 ):  Cast aluminu...

Stay tuned...we are back and a lot has happened, just not with the corvette 😒.  If I was to list them out it would go like this: Summer retirement home: purchased and completely remodeled Downsized current home: again preparation for retirement Cancer came back: Wife had a re-occurrence after 10 years remission (doing good now) Restored 1979 Jeep: Tangent to teach son how to drive manual trans and prep for surf fishing ... those are the major items Jeep Restoration:

After looking at the rocker channels on this car, I decided to change them out.  Mainly because the previous mangler modified them and I felt it would be best to just install new.  This has been time consuming and a dirty annoying job. Driver side rocker channel removed by grinding the spot welds New rocker channels prepared with weld through primer

This weekend I worked on a number of areas but the main area was the radiator core support.  After replacing the old unit, I decided to collect up all the rusted bits and pieces I've replace over the past couple months. Overall components replaced on the underside of the car and the radiator core support Here is the original core support from 1964.  I replaced this with a new unit meant for a 1967 big block to handle the larger radiator and added AC going in the car. Luggage Stop Panel