grumpyvette

a decent rust breaking penetrating oil sprayed on about 30 minutes before you use the press on the u-joints helps

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=33497 well worth the cost if you have the room if you were closer Id suggest running them by the shop, here, but since I see your in Kalifornia, you can take them to a local machine shop, most charge about $10 to remove and $10 to install each u-joint PLUS the cost of the new U-joints on a corvette theres 6 u-joints (two on each half shaft and two on the drive shaft) so buying a decent press is a no brainer, as it costs $130 on sale, (HF) and just the machine shop charges are almost $128 alone before you buy the u-joints. and I own 3 vettes so I bought a cheap 12 ton press years ago. BTW http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=38335 these work ok, but once you use a decent press youll soon see the extra cost of a hydrolic press is well worth it if you do this type of repair frequently.....andf you will if you race a high hp car with an independent rear

IM SO,sorry to hear about the car, .....glad no one was hurt, in most cases it LOOKS a great deal worse than it is from a motor function and parts salvage point of view and the best route is to TOTALLY clean the car up and REWIRE using NONE of the old harness. check the engine components, carefully, but it sounds like a good pressure cleaning or sand blasting and repaint job, might solve some or all of the none wire related issues its only time and money, youll get over it and in a few years it will be old news and won,t concern you, look at it as a learning experiance(a reminder to secure the wiring , brake,coolant and fuel lines) on your next car and have a 5 LB CO2 fire extinguisher in the trunk or mounted on the roll cage, etc. BTW get it dissassembled as soon as you can, water sitting in the engine will screw it up, and theres a good chance a high pressure hose got some someplace thats not ideal. BTW I set my camaro on fire once while welding when I was 19 years old, ....thats one reason I like haveing a water hose with a shutoff nozzel and a couple C02 fire extinguishers in my shop! and detest those dry chemical versions (A P.I.T.A. to clean up after)

Ok youve decided to buy/build a 383 from parts youve collected from that 350 in your car, youve got the parts an your iching to start assembly....should you take the time to ballance the parts or just slap it together.... ballancing/clearancing the rotating assembly will effectively reduce the stress on the components, the amount that stress will be reduced depends on how far off the components are from the orriginals the crank,damper and flexplate or flywheel were designed for , now I think ballancing the new assemblys a NO BRAINER as its usually under $200 and even if it reduced the stress only 15% its a big improvement, but the truth here is that without reballancing youve more than likely got zero idea how far off the new parts are and you might be assembling a combo that will shake itself to pieces in 10K......Id suggesst spending the $200 and getting it done correctly. yeah! we all know guys that skip the ballance work and run engines, we all also know guys that have constant freak engine and drive train breakage and tunning, and oil control issues/ problems, with thier cars and can,t seem to locate the source. you can spend $150-200 in most cases up front to prevent problems or a take a chance on spending a good deal more once they occure, your choice! and Id figgure the chances are about like playing russian roulette with two or three cylinders loaded in your revolver. the next question that comes up, ("can I re-use my 350 damper and flexplate or flywheel ?") that depends on several factors, 3.75" stroke cranks come in BOTH internally ballanced and EXTERNALLY BALLANCED designs, the 400 crank cut down to use in a 350 block is externally ballanced and requires in most cases a 400 damper and flexplate or flywheel, if the cranks designed for an EXTERNALLY ballanced flexplate and damper like a 400 has ,you CAN get it RE-ballanced for a INTERNALLY ballanced flexplate and damper like a 350, so that you can use internally ballanced components like a 350 damper and flywheel/flexplate... but the cost is frequently higher than just buying a new crank of the correct design, generally your stuck using the type of ballance the cranks originally designed for due to counter weight size, placement and cost issues, as welding in extra mallory metal weights gets expensive fast, and forged 3.75" SBC internally ballanced cranks are not all that expensive. theres also the option of installing counter weights on the 350 components to use with the 400 crank, if you choose to go that route http://www.scatcrankshafts.com/ theres a DIFFERANCE between CAN, you physically do something and CAN you do it at a reasonable cost! I know of no-one that will take the time and effort and go thru the expense to modify a 400 crank to run 350 components because an INTERNALLY ballanced 3.75" stroke crank thats designed to run those 350 components is fairly cheap and easily obtainable, but a decent shop can weld up counter weights and add enough mallory metal to reballance almost any crank to internally ballance it

I get asked all the time, "should you re-use those stock rods, when I rebuild my 350 or when I build my 383 stroker" most sbc gen I stock rods are designed to be cheap, and dependable in engines spinning under 6000rpm that make under 400hp, this is one area where Im simply amused at the lack of thought shown in sellecting components, by some guys. most chevy small block rods are VASTLY inferior in strength to many of the mid range and better aftermarket rods available. a 7/16" cap screw type ARP rod bolt is EASILY 200%-300% stronger than a stock 3/8" factory rod bolt and frankly, the cost & TIME to correctly modify and prep stock rods is a total waste, its almost always cheaper to buy decent aftermarket rods. example http://www.sdparts.com/product/12495071/5700quotPMConnectingRods.aspx $265 for a set of stock rods and then you should still have ARP bolts installed, pollish, ballance and sized your looking at easily $500-$600 or more for a set ready to run compared to something like this below its a joke http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=SCA%2D6570021&autoview=sku http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=SCA%2D25700716&autoview=sku keep in mind theres far stronger rods available if you have some extra cash, and that connecting rods and thier rod bolts are under a huge amount of stress at high rpms....one rod bolt stretching at high rpm will usually result in engine failure and its comon for only the intake, valve covers, distrib, and water pump and a few other parts to be salvagable if that were to happen at high rpms...stretch a rod bolt and the piston contacts the head, or bends a valve, the rod bends, the heads destroyed, the block can be history and it can go down hill rapidly from there as fragments work thier way around thru other of the moving parts as the engine locks up

Had a buddy buy a new MIG 110 volt (Im not going to say what brand because this effects all brands) well he gets it home and sets it up and the damn thing won,t weld worth crap, he calls me over, I try it and he right, but before I go blaming the welder I notice the lights got dim as we struck an arc so I suggest he brings it over to my shop and we test weld there, itsa a TOTALLY differant experiance......my shops wired with 20 amp 110 volt circuits and 10 ga wire, his shop has one 15 amp socket wired with 14 ga wire and his overhead lights on the same leg.....and to make things even worse hes using a 50 ft 14 ga extension cord so he can weld out in front of the garage in case of fire,......if your having problems with a mig welder it might be the feed circuit not the welder

naturally the main problem is cylinder pressure getting past the rings, but adding a couple breathers , and a working PVC should help, Id suggest all valve covers with dual breathers on one side and hooking the PVC to the other valve cover http://www.midwestmotorsportsinc.com/order_part.php?item=CP146&line=MWM step 1 throw the rubber front and rear intake seal bars in the dumpster step 2 clean the block rails and the matching intake surfaces with acetone,or toluene soaked shop rag. clean all previous gasket material and sealant off the heads and block surfaces with a gasket scrapper or razor step 3 place a 1/4" wide bead of black silicone sealant along the center of BOTH the block rails and lower intake mateing surfaces,place the port gaskets and align the bolt holes with the holes in the cylinder heads and put a small bead of sealant around 360 degrees of the water transfer ports,on both sides of the gasket, on both gaskets then place the intake straight down into place so the wet sealant beads mesh, blend and squeeze out a bit. step 4 tighten slowly in stages working from the center bolts outward, use a #2 phillips screw driver to make minor adjustments to the intake thru the bolt holes if it moved a bit durring the install, then drop into place and thread all bolts finger tight before tightening any of them,. step 5 allow to dry for a couple hours minimum over night,will be better, before use OPTIONAL but RECOMMENDED use a sharp object to DIMPLE both upper and lower surfaces to give the silicone sealant a firmer grip, by lightly dimpling the surfaces over a large surface

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4826897 (tire age) I forget most guys don,t know how to read those numbers or what they indicate I think the POINT IS....if you drive like many of us who own vettes ,do, having newer and flexible tires rather than older tires that are more likely to have problems is smart, but most guys don,t even know how to tell the differance, and the newer the tires are and the higher the speed and load ratings are the less problems your likely to see. BTW http://www.rojawheels.com/wheeltech/DiameterCalculator/DiameterCalculator

don,t get too wrapped up in worring about which oil is superior, keep in mind oils main function is to provide a lubracating film and transfer absorbed heat,away from the moving parts, almost ANY of the name brand oils do that well and ALMOST ANY oil will last at least 5000 miles without significant loss of its abilities to do that if the filters used keep the particals in it minimized AND the temp stays in the 190F-250F range. but like I stated earlier, oil needs to get up to 215F at least for a short time to burn off moisture, and above about 240F it slowly brakes down, its the regular replacement with clean oil , to remove the crud from the engine and good filters thats the key! EVEN if you had the best oil in the world, that could easily last 30K-35K miles the CRUD & acids trapped in the oil from cumbustion,would cause wear and reduce its lubration abilities over time, if the filters don,t remove the majority of that crud the oils life expectancy is limited reguardless of the oil quality itself , and regular replacement is the key

http://www.hobartbrothers.com/aboutus/downloads/ a bit more info

I run a mix of 9 QTS of mobile 1 10w30 and 1 QT of MARVEL MYSTERY OIL in my 10 qt oil system in my main toy(the 1985 corvette) and a similar ratio in my other two vettes, but the longer I build and race cars the more Ive come to beleive that almost any decent name brand synthetic with some MMO added to get the extra solvents and detergents that the MMO has added will work just fine IF...you just keep the air and oil filters changed out at about 3000-3500 miles and the oil changed at 3500-7000 miles, and making darn sure you use a QUALITY oil filter and have a few MAGNETS in your oil pan. the larger capacity baffled oil pans with a windage screen, help here as they tend to keep the temp stabile and the oil sump full naturally your success will depend on keeping your oil temp in the correct operational range (190f-215F most of the time,max -250F) once the cars up to temp (preferably in the 215F-230F range at least several times durring each drive so it burns of moisture and can lubricate and flow correctly,(non-synthetics shoud not exceed about 230F and genererally work best in the 190F- 215F-225F range) and having the bearing clearances correct. oil pressure should be between about 20 PSI at idle(once its up to temp.) and 60-65psi at high rpms. but again the KEY if freqent oil and filter changes, failure, to change the oil and filters is usually the main problem but if the oil doesn,t reach 215F oil forms/traps moisture and tends form acids that are bad for bearings http://www.knizefamily.net/minimopar/oilfilters/index.html http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80781 http://www.elephantracing.com/techtopic/oiltemperature.htm BTW, keep the oil temp in a narrow range and TUNNING the engine if FAR easier..........keep in mind the goal here is to maintain a pressurized film of CLEAN oil of the correct temp. between most of the moving surfaces, and one of the goals is having the oil flow absorb heat and transport that heat to the cooling system

SORRY? I use caps to emphasize the more important points, I never yell!

when you get the car running correctly how about posting ALL the details with pictures like the turbo part numbers, injector sizes, compression ratio,what cylinder heads,intake,carb or throttle body, cam, tire size, trans stall, rear gear ratio, BORE AND STROKE, CRANK AND RODS AND PISTON PART NUMBERS etc. BE nice theres an old guy that might just want that info for his BBC CORVETTE

I hope the COPS know and ACT ON that info!

thanks for posting the links !! all info on welding helps!! and I know Im sure willing to learn new tricks and gain new skills,and Ive been welding for 35 plus years got questions, these guys usually have answers http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/communities/mboard/forumdisplay.php?f=4 http://www.hobartwelders.com/weldtalk/ links to these threads are MANDATORY http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=126993&highlight=welding http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=108912&highlight=welding http://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/135341/

Ive had good luck useing the FLUID DAMPERS brand, naturally youll need to get the correct one for YOU ENGINES ballance system and type,either INTERNAL or EXTERNAL BALLANCE http://www.jegs.com/i/Fluidampr/388/620101/10002/-1 a distrib shop should be able to verify the distrib function, I usually use MSD IGNITION components

if your still running a stock style damper its basically not designed for over 4500rpm and prone to the elastomer ring seperation. your engine probably could use the timing set at about 6-8 degrees at idle and advance to about 37 degrees total at 3200rpm, as a starting point, naturally youll want the plug gaps at about .043-.045 and the fuel air ratio to be about 13:1-13.5:1 most of the time, your best power is usually around 12.7:1 but it wastes fuel and leaner than about 14:1 tends to run a bit hotter (detonation, might be a problem) best mileage usually near 14.7:1-15:1 but thats certainly not the goal with a tunnel ram if you don,t have one get an A/F ratio meter. personally Id suggest starting at the basics and do a compression check, verify TDC and the timing tab is correct, verify your getting the 5 psi or so in fuel pressure necessary and the correct fuel voluum, then adjust the valve lash and go from there! if you do as search on (reading plugs) youll get some useful info, you might want to verify your jets and power valves are correct also

http://www.jab-tech.com/product.php?productid=3985 example but theres better choices, (electric fuel pump wired to this power supply) having LO-JACK helps http://www.lojack.com/Pages/home.aspx?crcat=ppc&crsource=google&crkw=lo+jack&gclid=CIKy0JrWiJQCFQOuFQod2CV2WA

IN FLORIDA its LEGAL too shoot car jackers,in the act of armed car jacking, in CALIF Id doubt thats true given the liberals in the government, but in any case ID carry a cell phone and report the theft instantly as they drove off even if they did get the car.

its TO LATE NOW OBVIOUSLY but having a concealed handgun is only one option and thats not always something you can get to or use in some areas legally, LOJACK helps, http://lojack.com/ having a GPS tracker helps, and having a car alarm system that shuts off the fuel if your not in the car with a transmitter you keep seperately in your pocket after a few minutes is an excellent idea. theres even magnetic switches that can shut the car down if your alarm reciever doesn,t see your butt in the car with a seperate transmitter

Ive found that adding a qt of MARVEL MYSTERY OIL to the crank case KEEPS the crud in suspension and disolves a great deal of sludge, and I drain oil when its hot simply because it flows faster and tends to drag out more crud when it drains. the main thing is to do oil changes regularly (between 3500-7000 miles) and change the filters about every 3500 miles I also avoid cheap filters and add several magnets that pick up a significant amount of metalic dust over time, preventing its getting embedded in the bearings http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92038&highlight=magnets http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80384&highlight=magnets BTW Id suggest not useing pariffin rich oils, quaker state is one example, that tends to have high parriffin content, these tend to leave a significant film that builds up over time into sludge if not changed frequently , keep in mind MARVEL MYSTERY OIL has high concentrations of solvents and friction reducers that tend to keep crud in suspension

other bits of useful info http://victorylibrary.com/mopar/blower-engine5.htm http://victorylibrary.com/mopar/cam-tech-c.htm http://victorylibrary.com/mopar/chamber-tech-c.htm http://victorylibrary.com/mopar/piston_position-c.htm

I thought of that....before I posted, then said......NAAAA thats way too obvious as a cause to be missed......why even bring that up...like they say, NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING

you can forget the dissy being one tooth off, thats B.S., you can get a distrib to run with the rotor in almost any location, (not correct, but it will run fine) simply by moving the plug wire locations the most comon problem that causes that timing mark to move is the elastomer ring in the damper slipping OR use of the wrong timing tab location. dampers with the stock design ELASTOMER ring only work effectively at one set rpm range, usually in the 2400rpm-3000rpm band where the stock engine and gearings designed to cruize at in most cars. oil , heat,time and fuel can degrade the damper elastomer and make it fail. the IDEA is that the inner ring accellerates with the power strokes, the flex the crank but the outer ring being connected with a rubber ring and glue tends to resist and absorb the shock loads,lowering the shock loads on the crank, the absorbtion frequency naturally depends on the outer rings weigh, and dia. and the thickness and flexiability. some of the aftermarket dampers are much better designs and opperate at all rpm ranges. THERES TWO COMMON REPLACEMENTS Silicone performance from Fluidampr. Using only 3 parts--a laser-welded sealed housing, an internal inertia ring, and a highly viscous silicon fluid between the two--these SFI-approved Fluidamprs can control all crankshaft vibration, not just a limited frequency range. As a result, you get reduced wear on the main bearings and timing gear, more stable valvetrain operation, and less chance of crank failure. the aftermarket FLUID DAMPER has a INNER RING suspended in an extremely thick silicon grease,and incased in the damper housing so the damping effect of the friction of the heavy ring trying to move thru the grease works to slow accelleration of the innner ring and absorbs the shock loads from the crank flexing at all rpms as the ring moves inside the damper to absorb the frequency changes naturally youll need to sellect the correct one for your particular application, and PROVIDED you DON,T GET STUPID and use A HAMMER to install them, that might BIND the outer housing to the inner ring rather than the correct installation tool,the fluid dampers tend to work really well http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=FLU%2D620101&N=700+400296+300615+115&autoview=sku the RATTLER type uses ROLLER WIEGHTS in the HOUSING rather than a thick fluid and a ring Effective balancing from a name you can trust. These Rattler torsional vibration absorbers by TCI are pendulum absorbers developed to control amplitudes of vibration and angle of crankshaft twist like no other design. Their ability to absorb, rather than dampen, is the key to their success. The Rattlers are effective for the entire rpm range, and they extend crankshaft and bearing life. The Rattlers also allow the engine to run more smoothly, which can potentially increase valvetrain stability and life. Their design does not utilize viscous fluids, and they require virtually no maintenance. You can always depend on the Rattlers' timing marks to be correct, because they're etched onto the body and cannot move relative to crankshaft centerline. The Rattlers are also lighter in weight than most units of the same size and material construction, plus they're SFI 18.1 certified http://store.summitracing.com/egnsearch.asp?N=700+115+304451&D=304451 PERSONALLY I PREFER THE FLUID DAMPER DESIGN BUT BOTH WORK, and SCAT CRANKS THINKS THE RATTLER DESIGNS SUPERIOR, BOTH have the timing marks clearly marked this may help http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80373&highlight=damper http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89586

sure, this type USUALLY fits inside many stock valve covers,naturally youll need the BBC version if its a BBC and the self aligning version on a SBC VORTEC HEAD http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=CCA%2D1331%2D16&autoview=sku or http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=CRO%2D73640%2D16&autoview=sku but you might need to get differant adjustment nuts as those might be too tall for some valve covers, I know they fit on most corvettes stock covers AFTER use of a DIE GRINDER to remove the DRIP TABS on the inner valve cover surface