rick phillips

firefighter for 21 years and four more to make retirement

thanks guys i appreciate the help. my 280 is a 77 and it has the non catalyst label under the hood as well. our only tampering check is on the gas cap and the converter visual checks i guess i was hoping to avoid raising the hood and showing the chevy engine. we have heard some horror stories from our first month of testing. thanks again rick

i searched this the other day and couldn't find anything. so one quick question. does the vin denote a california car (converter) or federal (non-catalyst) we are starting emission testing and i am just curious how they will know my 280 is a non-catalyst. thanks rick

i was going to accuse tim of selling amway but,seriously guys ,the meth problem in this country is totally out of control and as federal and state laws make it more difficult to buy this stuff in bulk you will see more restrictions. rick

thanks guys, the v/b catalog just came i'll check it out rick

is there a web site or other media that will break down the vin on the z cars? if there is a site do you think the vin would tell if that particular car had a catalytic converter originally. thanks for any help rick

tony280 thats the correct wire for the power, but i can't remember which is the ground. i am at work and dont have my notes. i think there were only two wires left i ran them inside and grounded one and then the other and found the right wire. i put it on a toggle switch and ran it through the low fuel light on the dash. it didn't work at all before ,but now it reminds me when the overdrive is engaged. the converter in the 350c droppedthe rpms by a couple hundred. rick

tony 78 i used a 350c trans for two years in my 77 280 w/350. the 350c was actually on the trans case for iding it. i talked with the guys at bow-tie over drives who advised me the wiring diagram on the web site would work for me its the four wire plugand it does have to be grounded. but performance was minimal for me. i have recently changed to a 700r4 and driving the z is fun again. hope this helps are gives you another avenue to persue. rick

i know these test are old hat to a lot of you guys, so how about a little information. we will be starting testing in july next year. i know all the states may have a little different twist but i'm just trying to get some idea where my 77 280 w/89 chevy 350 will fall. they are saying antiques and pre75 are exempt. any information is appreciated. thanks rick

am i the only one who had to look up bifurcation? and my websters collegiate dictionary doesn't know what ragnosticating is.

dsommer i don't know where i read this, it may have been on this site, but it worked for me. with the intake off use a punch to make several small indentions on the edge of the block before putting your gasket material on you might also make the indentions on the intake manifold it gives the gasket material something to "bite".it worked for me hope it helps rick

i need some help with the suffix number on my engine. i found the casting at mortec,they say 350 w/roller or flat tappet cam,2 or 4 bolt main. i have been unable to find anything on the suffix # v0406arh i've searched the net and the chevy parts man did'nt have a clue so if you can help i would appreciate it. the engine is a 350 from an 89 caprice it was a tbi until i changed it to a carb. it also has an oil cooler. the trans in this car was a 700r4 but has been changed to a 350c with a spacer between the trans housing and tail piece so it is the same length as the 700r4. it does have the roller cam by the way the engine runs great but i would like a little more info if anyone has any ideas. thanks Rick

it is possible to spend thousands of dollars on these cars, as we have seen from some of the cars on this board. but it is also possible with careful planning and spending to build one on a budget. my 77 280 w/350 and 350 turbo was built for less than seven thousand dollars including cost of the car. its not a show car and its not the fastest car around,but it is a clean, safe fun car to drive. my point is don't change someones mind by telling them the only way to build a z is with thousands and thousands of dollars

while driving my z a few days ago the muffler seperated from the exhaust pipe. not wanting to take the time to try to get it back together i removed the muffler and drove home without it. while it was a little bit louder i noticed the gas fumes had disappeared. my muffler is in the stock location and exits right under the bumper. maybe a small diameter muffler dumping somewhere around the rear axle would let the fumes dissipate and not find ther way into the car. just a thought rick