grumpyvette

Anonymous if you posted some info like what city and state your in it would more than likely help your swap. in that guys near you might be far more likely to get envolved, example if your close to me, Id be willing to assist in some areas

http://www.rx7club.com/showpost.php?p=6620790&postcount=22 http://www.bbbenc.org/commonreport.html?bid=3001613 http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=185672

most harbor freight stuff is cheap junk, the only two exceptions I can think of at the moment are that self darkening helmet and the 12 ton jack stands http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=34924 both are less than $50 on sale (a pair of jack stands) and I can recommend those, I support my corvetts on 4 of these for some jobs and they have exactly the correct room under them on the first click up to compfortably work under the car for things like oil pan removals or engine swaps, and they are FAR larger and more stabile than the comon 3 or 6 ton jack stands most guys use. I bought a set of gear pullers from HF that said "FORGED STEEL" on the cheap cast parts, they failed/fell apart the first time I tried to test them

the only advantages I see in my more expensive helmets is the degree of shading is adjustable and the screen areas larger but both features are of minor value in the welding Ive been doing, simply because the harbor freight helmets set up to fairly close to ideal as its out of the box settings. (thats why I bought a second one) and rarely use the miller brand helmets, if IM going to screw one up, get the screen scratched or burnt with framents of crud from welding over my head under a car, it may as well be a $44 throw away vs a $360 ID cry over

ditto, somethings wrong, it should spin freely with no lifters with minor finger applied torque only to the cam gear, stop, check, identify, verify and fix the problem before proceding further. you might want to coat the cam with assembly lube and roll it on a glass window or table to verify the cam itself is not bent, as thats a potential problem area, just because its a new cam does NOT mean its a strait core.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=46092 one of the VERY RARE... GOOD VALUES ...at harbor freight, (above) I had a 15% off coupon in a sales flyer, I bought a second auto dark helmet from them for $44 ,I had the old one for several years with no problems yet, how can you beat a basically throw away price on an auto darkening helmet that works for that price// Ive got $360 miller auto darking helmets that are only marginally better

"I liked using the torch better, I had more control." I had the same experiance,the oxy-acetolene torch has the easily adjustable control on heat and feed because you can change the flame and distance and angle and you control the feed rate on the filler rod seperately & independently and can easily go back and re-heat areas without adding fill rod,thats why youll like TIG, think of it as a torch with an electric flame that you can instantly control the heat with your foot pedal or thumb wheel, and darn little smoke, and most of the same charicteristics, the only reason I didn,t get a tig sooner was COST, but I kept looking and eventually got off my lazy at times butt and found a used one at a decent price

Im a HUGE FAN of OXY-ACETOLENE torches and what they can do...BUT, they have some limitations, they are far more likely to get a novice into trouble and start fires than an electric welder in semi skilled hands. that bargin,your quoted, may or may not be a good deal, and condition of equipment and torch size , thread size, gauges,and accessories mean a great deal. the first thing Id point out that many residential areas have ordanances that forbid storing oxy-acetolene tanks indoors in a building next, tank rental fees and deposites on any tank size thats will allow decent welding time between fills tend to be far more expensive than you might think so check into that BEFORE buying a torch! next, Id point out that gauges that fit the small (HOBBY) tank sizes won,t fit the standard professional tanks thread size. Im not trying to dis- swade you just make you aware of the total costs. next Id point out that torches come in differant sizes and types and youll probably want both a cutting and welding torch, and cheap gauges are a MAJOR P.I.T.A. so like most things you get what you pay for. you could easily have $400 in deposites and $20 a month in a twin tank rental, or $500 in two purchased tanks , and tanks must be re-certified every 5-7 years at a cost of about $40 each or they won,t be refilled VICTOR IS about the bench mark BRAND in torches http://store.cyberweld.com/viwecuou.html http://store.cyberweld.com/vijowecuou.html http://store.cyberweld.com/cylindercart.html personally ID suggest you buy NEW torches from the guy you get the tanks from, because youll be seeing ALOT of each other and youll want his advice and good will!! GET the VICTOR torches, theres support and parts readily available to rebuild them easily,and you won,t be having a small chance of getting JUNK that some guys unloading just to get some money from someone hes scamming EXAMPLE http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=36983 brother in law bought these.....they were JUNK right out of the new box BTW its very comon to see RENTAL TANKS , out of certification tanks, and deffective gauges and torches in pawn shops and the bargin traders type papers, yes you CAN occasionally get a screaming DEAL, but your taking a big chance on getting a set thats deffective

sure, just call (p.m. /email /when your free) Im well aware how lack of money screws up projects and scheduals...been fighting that problem for 50 plus years in one form or another....if you care to have coffee some times get me the info and if Im free Id be glad to meet you here or at the coffee shop of your choice, always a good move to find new friends

sorry the welders are previously spoken for, but... since your close by here, in palm beach, why not stop over and we can talk about your projects over coffee,hey, why not stop by an we can work on your projects or YOU can use a welder here when you need one, FOR FREE (good price no??) no expence other than replacing the rods or wire you use up and a lift and help.....seems like its a win/win to me. I can always sqeeze in some time for small projects and coffee, (being retired has some benefits) btw I know where theres a good deal on a lightly used 90 amp lincon mig/flux welder fairly cheap that works good on sheet metal, panels ETC. (like this one below for $275) http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100093231

http://www.camaro-untoldsecrets.com/articles/crossram.htm offy makes a killer intake for your combo, summit sells them, yeah it takes some tunning skills but it looks and opperates great and makes more power than the vic design

well? hows that engine working out? it LOOKS like youve got it tunned and running OK in that video? are you happy with the new combo vs the old combo?

loosecannonzs if your ever in the area , give me a personal message and Ill meet you for coffee or you can come by, its always good to increase the guys contacts

the guys above gave good info based on the limited info and no clear pictures, and are most likely correct. but one reason Ive found occasionally with the smaller amp rated welders is the machine just won,t put out the amperage necessary to get the needed heat, at the correct spot in the ideal time frame or the wire or rods your useing (mig/stick)are too small in dia. and thus melt too fast for the base metal to heat up and flow/mix with the filler rod or wire ,to get a good looking tack if the amps are ok but the main thing youll need is experiance and practice. oxy-acetolene torches and TIG don,t tend to have this to the same extent because the heat and material feed are seperately controlled, thus you have potentially more areas of control

please post the detailed parts list , it may help isolate the potential problem areas, and have you tried swaping carbs yet?

I plan to keep just the lincoln engine drive arc welder,( with/10,000watt generator) the miller 330 amp TIG and the new miller 250 mig, the hobart arc welder Im just giving to the Brother-in-law, (he needs one) and IM probably selling the two smaller migs too (deeply discounted) partly to pay for the larger mig, but mostly to help out friends and UPGRADE my welders at the same time. your correct a decent tig and a good mig will serve under 99% of applications and the engine driven lincoln arc welder will serve as emergency back-up power & welder see ..THERE MAY be a CURE for this addiction??........force my self down to only three welders, but MAKING SURE THEY ARE GOOD WELDERS

"The real question is how many die grinders you have..." only 4 I guess IM fairly sane! well maybe not,Ive got two proffesional full size (6ft tall 42" wide 15 drawer) craftsman,tool boxes so full I can,t fit another tool in them, Ive got 6 engines on engine stands in various levels/stages of work/progess, and two auto transmission,s, I do work on other guys cars for free constantly, and Im thinking of buying tools rather than parts for my own projects..so maybe, Im marginally warped......but hey at least I keep busy

[ "There are poor kids all around the country who are dieing (not literally) because they don't have welding machines!!" SEE! IM PROBABLY GOING TO BE HELPING OTHERS LESS FORTUNATE, IM ALLOWING TWO FORMERLY WELDERLESS GUYS TO GET A MIG.... http://www.welders-direct.com/mercha...ct_Code=907321 IF....I decide to purchase it, Im getting a better deal than this, (above) on the same NEW IN THE BOX, mig welder and the old migs will be sold to friends at a deep discount (hey thier friends) will cover more than 1/2 the cost "Nice collection, where do you find those kinds of deals?" being successful in this hobby requires making lots of contacts and spreading good will, by doing little things to help out other guys....its surpriseing how often you get info and deals if you make the effort to help others and not look for repayment

OK,ILL admit it IM totally addicted to aquireing nice tools, I can,t seem too grasp reality at times... example Ive got a nice 230 amp hobart, ac/dc arc welder a lincoln 130 amp mig a lincoln 300 amp ac/dc stick welder a miller 330 amp tig a miller 180 amp mig youll be thinking about this time... "this guys nuts...whats he need with all those welders" but thats not the crazy part, I got offered a VERY good deal on a new 250 amp miller mig welder and I can,t seem to think of a ("LOGICAL" reason to pass on the deal) SEE IM addicted! I know it! IM fighting it! darn this hobby gets you just as addicted too TOOLS as it does to ENGINES :rotfls: there may be some hope??? Im willing to sell the 130 amp lincoln mig, and miller 180 amp mig ..to close friends who need them bady (DOESN,T EVERY HOTRODDER???) if I get the miller 250 amp mig, so IM not totally ...nuts.....well.... maybe thats not exactly true..... but I keep telling myself that....besides my friends encourage this addiction, they are willing to buy those older migs in a heart/beat, and are encouraging me too do the deal, they WANT to get addicted TOO!.... SEE ID HAVE FEWER WELDERS SO THAT MEANS IM GETTING BETTER ...RIGHT??

areas you can improve easily change your driving style and carefully keep & maintain average engine rpms UNDER 3500rpm, watch well ahead and anticapate useing brakes, accellerate slow and steadly, yeah! no fun but much better distance per gallon. take all un-necessary weight out of car, carting around a trunk full of heavy junk hurts mileage, think about what your doing ahead of time, make one or two trips vs 3-4 youll need too do if you forget something on the first trips, plan your routes, bouncing all over the place at random and back tracking, is seldom efficient vs a planned route, make a list and check off each item you need, before you drive install a vacuum gauge and watch the needle, it will indicate a good deal about fuel/air flow rates increase tire pressure=lower roll resistance swap to taller tires= more distance per engine revolution in gear swap to low restriction air filter= engine tends to breath easier, yeah! there cam be an easy extra few mpg in a good low restriction CLEAN filter VS a poor dirty air filter swap to 10w 30 synthetic oil-lower engine drag/friction try to stay under 70mph max things that require major work swap to od-trans-lowers average rpms and a/f use swap to fuel injection=much more effective f/a ratio control swap to msd ignition= slightly better burn and lower crud build-up in most cases install small dia. headers and large dia, low restriction exhaust, = this tends to increase low rpm tq and reduce engine pumping losses a clutch fan, or electric radiator fan tends to reduce engine drag losses yes there are a few things that can be done to reduce air drag, look for them, things like an aluminum air deflector panel under the radiator MIGHT reduce drag, tucking your exhaust up tight to the frame might help ETC. engines usually get thier best mileage near a 14.7-15:1 a/f ratio, best power near 12.6-13:1 the differance can be several miles per gallon engines tend to run efficintly at 190F-210F coolant temp,and at about 215F-220F oil temp, run to hot or too cool and youll waste fuel if your using a carb,the better designed DUAL plane intakes tend to produce better low/mid rpm tq allowing better mileage that a single plane intake which tends to require higher average rpms. check your ignituion advance and plugs, get the ignition timing screwed up and youll lose mileage. btw a second car(small 4-6 cylinder manual trans parts chaser truck) can be a big plus on your fuel bill vs running your sports car with a 450hp v8 on side trips, for years I had a datsun truck as a parts chaser, and while it was not the height of style it got 20 plus MPG and over 280,000 miles before I finally sold it!

just wondering if theres many of you guys anywhere in the area of west palm beach fla. its always nice to increase the contacts,knowledge and parts sources available, and have the opertunity to help others, or too get help with thier projects and have access to the pooled and varied skills, we have as corvette/hotrod car owners :thumbsup:

that depends mostly on the level of horsepower and the quality of the parts and assembly care, and your driving style,if its nearly stock and regular maininance is done correctly and frequently (filters,& oil changes) and you keep the rpms reasonable ,youll easiy get 100k-150k before a refresh becomes necessary (rings & bearings & gaskets) boost the hp significantly , but use decent parts and youll still get 80K-130K, (I know several 383s Ive built have over 100K currently and are still fine, (with only the standard,oil,filter,& sparkplug changes) the secret is getting good quality forged parts correctly clearanced, installed and ballanced and keeping the oil and filters clean and frequently changed,and the heat the engine sees reasonable (IE oil temps kept under 240F and over 215F and coolant temps under 220f and over 190F) and not running the rpms into rpm levels where valve control or heat levels up to where detonation becomes an issue. most guys will have few problems simply because your generally not useing a sports type car as your main and only transportation and most guys don,t put excessive mileage on the (TOY) they built, my 3 corvettes for example seldom see more than 10k-15k a year in drive time (each) and I drive constantly, but I generally use the parts truck for a good deal of the little trips. btw Ive got 80K on my main current toy(1985 ,383 vette)and its showing no wear/problems, but its been dissassembled and re-assembled several times durring major parts testing

BTW don,t think little things like that don,t matter, I buy and install ALOT of parts for the local hotrodders, I talk to hundreds over a years time and post where many tens of thousands read about problems and successes and I refuse to buy from a certain cam company simply because they DON,T tend to give a $%^^& about customer problem, while I do purchase from several others almost weekly who have proven they CARE about service and support, theres not much dumber than screwing over a customer to save a few bucks when thousands of dollars in future business depends on good customer relations. especially since anyone in this hobby will tend to tell you when they get treated well or get screwed over and the internet can quickly make or break future sales and a reputation

its GOOD to see EDELBROCK CUSTOMER SERVICE reads and RESPONDS to customers NEEDS , THATS A PLUS FOR BUYING EDELBROCK! AND a good REASON to BUY from them

building custom headers suspension,or a roll cage?? heres some tools to help http://www.metalgeek.com/static/cope.pcgi http://pipemastertools.com/store/page1.html link that may help thanks for the software http://midmoracing.com/bendit.htm BTW my secuirity software threw a hissy fit when I downloaded that BEND program and required me to run a cleaner program so it probably has tracking software attached http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Links/