Father & son having fun

 Well, this is the first time ever (since we have had the car) to move under it's own power:

 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.