grumpyvette

I doubt very many guys on the site own milling machines but many probably own a good drill press, and as anyone who owns either knows a good mill vise is about mandatory to allow you to drill or machine parts and that vise must be solidly bolted or clamped to the machine. in my shop I sold my larger drill press and purchased a true mill, similar to this It came with a mill vise that looks like this one below but its max open jaw spread is a bit over 3" and I need a larger mill vise that will open a minimum of 6.5" http://www.grizzly.com/products/6-Lockdown-Milling-Vise/SB1250 Id also prefer a large vise thats able to be set to hold angles if I must spend a great deal of cash BUT AT $560 PLUS ITS A QUITE a BIT MORE EXPENSIVE THAN I REALLY WANT OR CAN AFFORD TO PAY so Im asking for ideas

(1) YOU can control to a great degree the amount of torque your applying to the tires by controlling what your foot does on the throttle petal (2) proper tires and suspension mods like modifying air pressure in the tires air shocks, traction bars etc.can be very useful but simply learning how to drive the car and how and when and at what rate you can apply power helps a great deal, that takes practice and experience. Ive built and raced dozens of cars, each is unique and each takes a slightly different drive style, each car will require you to master its flaws and strengths and it makes little difference if its a 400hp street/strip car or a 700hp strip car, your knowledge of how to set up a suspension, recognize how the suspension and tires work together, and work with the cars limitations will make or break the combo to a large extent http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=372&p=454&hilit=physics+of+racing#p454 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=80&t=906&p=27083&hilit=learning+drive#p27083 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=248&p=295&hilit=needs+500hp#p295 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=87&t=5121&p=14750&hilit=launch+traction#p14750

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=77 I wish I had a bench this nice and as soon as funds allow I WILL GET ONE

Ok I read thru the thread and let me point out a few things (1) YOU can control to a great degree the amount of torque your appling to the tires by controling what your foot does on the throttle petal (2) proper tires and suspension mods like modifying air pressure in the tires air shocks, traction bars etc.can be very useful but simply learning how to drive the car and how and when and at what rate you can apply power helps a great deal, that takes practice and experience. Ive built and raced dozens of cars, each is unique and each takes a slightly different drive style, each car will reqire you to master its flaws and strengths and it makes little difference if its a 400hp street/strip car or a 700 strip car, your knowledge of how to set up a suspension, recognize how the suspension and tires work together, and work with the cars limitations will make or break the combo to a large extent http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=372&p=454&hilit=physics+of+racing#p454 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=80&t=906&p=27083&hilit=learning+drive#p27083 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=248&p=295&hilit=needs+500hp#p295 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=87&t=5121&p=14750&hilit=launch+traction#p14750

read thru these links it should help http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=976 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=2919 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=125 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=38

vega ?? well what did you decide? you were given a lot of related info,?

BTW I DON,T KNOW WHO SELLS THESE, oil cooler fins BUT IVE GOT TWO ON MY CORVETTES , I purchased decades ago on my OIL FILTERS AND THEY EASILY REDUCE OIL TEMPS 7-15 DEGREES,the ones I have are about 6" long and fit about 90% of the diam of the filter ID love to buy a couple new ones because they are a cheap and effective way to drop oil temps if you install them on a PF35 oil filter notice this LINK POSTED says NOT IN PRODUCTION "Manufacturer has currently ceased production." http://www.mesaperformance.com/web_store/web_store.cgi?page=accescat/coolers.html&category=yes

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=961 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=1303 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=495 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=185 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=1503 if your interested in more info

http://www.grizzly.com/products/7-Gallon-Coolant-Tank-System/H8140?utm_source=google&utm_medium=productlisting&utm_campaign=google%2Bproducts http://weldingdirect.com/sr1825.html this might be useful in a similar custom fabrication http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=6812&p=22001#p22001

Its most likely just my experience, but Ive rarely been happy with 110 volt welders. 110 volt welders are great on floor pans ,body sheet steel and exhaust pipe but not so great on frames and suspension brackets etc. for the extra cost Id sure get the 211 welder, I got really tired of buying mig welders only to find out that the mig welder I bought won,t quite do the job and then having to sell the darn mig welder at a loss to upgrade later youll forget about the extra money spent long before youll regret having a better welder. buying a marginal welders a bit like buying a bullet resistant vest, a bit more capacity costs more but you don,t regret having it if you need to get involved in something unforeseen, but having less capacity can really get things screwed up fast. I can,t think of a single time I'VE regretted buying a better quality tool http://www.bakersgas.com/MIL907422.html#5291 after trying several welders friends owned and having owed several personally , Id strongly suggest having a long talk with a local miller or Lincoln welder dealer and asking a great deal of questions, now theres zero doubt that the 180 amp welder will do most auto related welding, but the 211 has advantages if you get into heavier applications like frames and suspensions, and keep in mind you might never need its full capacity but its a total P.I.T.A. to have a welding job that you can,t do correctly with the equipment at hand, I found that to be the case with a 180 amp miller I owned. while it would do 95% of the jobs welding rear differential brackets was marginal as there was just not enough amps available for single pass welds, so I just said (#$%$%^ it) and bought the miller 252, which does a great job. http://www.welders-direct.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WD&Product_Code=907321&Category_Code=m-mig heres the MIG I purchased and no your very unlikely to need something like this unless you do custom frames, shortening rear differentials and build roll cages Like I occasionally do, and you might want to ask yourself if you want a MIG at all? the longer I work on cars the more I tend to use my 330 AMP TIG WELDER I bought USED for under $1000

it looks like those headers were designed for angle plug heads, which would provide better clearance angle plug

keeping the shop floor clean etc. read thru this link and ALL sub links it could save your thousands of dollars http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=6501&p=20741#p20741

as always you need to verify clearances, and valve train geometry, not just assemble parts youll generally find that 1.6:1 ratio rockers provide more power on the intakes that on the exhaust but you can of course use them on both. stock vortec heads usually limit lift to about .480, so check don,t guess at your engines clearances and valve train geometry read the linked info it will help a good deal http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=181 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=401 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=5931 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=198&p=233&hilit=ratio+rockers+louis#p233

Ive had the best results buying complete running or none running older cars, usually cars found sitting in car ports and back yards that are rather obviously not being used. in many cases if you offer $100-$200 for a rusty old non running car after looking it over youll find the owners willing to take the offer, you then strip the drive train and tow the rest to a salvage yard where they frequently pay you $100 for the scrap steel . salvage yards generally charge more and you don,t get the advantage of selling the steel as scrap later, BTW old crappy 1960-1980 motor homes are a prime source of BIG BLOCK ENGINES READ THESE ALSO http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=87&t=3183&p=9403&hilit=inspection+salvage+yard#p9403 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=87&t=4318&p=18620&hilit=+project+state#p18620 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=5893&p=18037&hilit=+project+state+reluctance#p18037 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=4294&p=11325&hilit=+books+video#p11325

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=87&t=5602&p=17105&hilit=tall+deck+intake#p17105 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=2692&p=14873&hilit=tall+deck+intake#p14873 these links might help

just have a hard time getting back into it read this thread I think it might help, and yeah! most of us have been there! http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=6321&p=19849#p19849

" HEY GRUMPY? my buddy's buying the wrong parts, for his car, I have repeatedly told him that he can,t just install a big cam and a huge carb on his stock 307 sbc and expect it to run correctly but he quotes some magazine article he read where those parts gained the engine 50 plus hp, how do I explain to him its not going to work out?" step back and take a few deep breaths, if theres one thing Ive learned over 45 plus years building cars and engines,its that,the truth is that even if you give excellent advice on a well known , and frequently tested,drive train and engine combo, few people will follow your advice. its unfortunate but people seem to learn lessons from making mistakes, if he won,t take the time to at least ask why you are advising him to look into the potential problem , your unlikely to get anyplace, so let him learn the hard way, in the long run it may be a rather cheap lesson if its just a cam and carb that will need to be replaced, Ive built or helped build dozens of cars and well over a 150 engines and most of those engines are still running years later, but almost every time Im asked for advice or post a well known combo , I find that few of the guys asking follow thru and buy and install all the components listed, because theres a very strong tendency to either use what they currently have or buy parts their buddy can get at a (DEAL OR GREAT PRICE) now thats understandable and most of us work on a budget, but if asked whats the best or whats a decent combo, and I listed a certain,displacement, rotating assembly,roller cam, part number, compression, ratio,cylinder heads, head port work, intake,part number,port work, carb size,header brand and part number, rear gear ratio, converter stall , transmission mods etc. and if the guy asking goes out and buys a random assortment of parts he got at bargain prices that (ARE JUST ABOUT THE SAME THING AS LISTED) hes NOT going to get the same results. read these links http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=5180&p=15044#p15044 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=87&t=1817&p=12034&hilit=rigged#p12034 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=87&t=4687

anyone read the hot rod mag junkyard ls turbo test yet??? september issue, page 76, good read. junkyard 5.3 they wanted to see how much power it would make before it blew up all they did to the shortblock was open up the ring gap from 14 thou to 28 thou stock heads were worked by TEA and bigger valves were installed. high perf springs were installed comp 281hr cam, 228/230 at 50 lsxr intake and and 75lb injectors. fast efi Naturally aspirated it made 450hp/380ft lbs of torque peak power at 7000rpms they added two ebay 76mm turbos and 118 octane race gas ill let you guys read it to see what it made on 26.3 psi . the efi couldnt keep up past this point. lets just say they made over 50 pulls at more than 1000hp. they also FAILED to blow it up surprise ending???? it turned out to be a lowly 4.8

small cap distributors measure approximately 4" in diam. LARGE cap distributors measure approximately 5.25" in diam.

these links should help http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=635 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=211

as many guys know Ive helped several guys plan out and think thru the steps they need to go thru when building a shop most guys simply don,t realize that the local building departments,land use restrictions on floor height,drainage, electrical restriction, health laws, access and easement restrictions, soil compaction, limitations, building inspectors and your deed restrictions ,area zoning laws ,and the cost of material all have an effect on their choices. in most areas you need to find out what you can build and whats allowed before spending time planing what you intend to build. in most areas you can,t just decide to install a 3 or 4 car garage, on your property and it takes building permits, and foundation tests , minimum pad heights, soil density tests and other requirements before you even start,and get a land survey to make sure theres room for a garage and nothing preventing you from building one, like power line access or sewer access,height or square footage restrictions etc.! think it thru, the shops construction costs most contractors quote are FAR LOWER than the true total cost, they frequently "low ball" estimates to get you started then mention the building permits site preparation,trash removal, all internal electric, paint, etc and inspections and a near endless list of other things costing money are not included in the cost MOST contractors will provide the MINIMUM required by the building codes IF THAT and if you want things done correctly youll need to constantly inspect whats being done, whos doing it, and that what your being billed for is actually being done with the materials you paid for. theres a great deal of info in this thread http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=116 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=5 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=98 these pictures are several years old

theres a great deal of info in these links that may prove useful http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=211 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=635 http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=109

just curious? why would you use a standard O.E.M. starter when a MINI STARTER weights less gives more header clearance, and most can be indexed and many are geared to produce higher torque, now theres a dozen brands and models to select from, but the standard O.E.M. starters don,t have much going for them from what Ive seen, Ive used mini starters on 13:1 compression big blocks that lasted for years so dependability of the better brands is not an issue http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-829100/

you may have a good deal if the cars nor had extensive rust issues ,Ive always preferred track cars because, the interior and much of the wiring is much simpler, and factors like maintaining the air conditioning, radio, power seats,etc. function, are not a big concern. that roll cage appears to be mostly designed for "LOOKS" I doubt its going to pass any track inspection from what I can see,in the pictures, Id think it will require removal and replacement after reading thru the track requirements (no gussets, floor plates or correct rear frame brace tubes, etc) I don,t know what your budgeting for an engine,and drive train, but if youve got a realistic budget I may be able to give you some tips, just be aware that anything worth building in a SBC engine,thats expected to make 450hp is not going to be mostly based on cheap rebuilt OEM parts off a 305 SBC