C2C3C4 wrote:
Let's go!! I have been there many times. We should take Rt. 23 south through Ottawa, and then take Rt.6 west to the Starved Rock Lodge. Route 6 runs along the Illinois River, and the last 3-4 miles are the best "Corvette" curves in Illinois!

Matatk wrote:
Well, duh

I think we should cruise out to starved rock and have a meet up.

BillH wrote:
Isn't thet Matthew's kettlebell trainer????

CentralCoaster wrote:
Poor guy was just trying to feed his family and was viciously attacked. Where's Johnny Cochran when you need him.

Matatk wrote:
Well I had a much more successful day today tinkering with the car. Finished up the driver's side with the help of the ball end socket. I also got the passenger side installed. The driver side goes in from the top, passenger side from the bottom. It takes some wiggling but it will go in. On the passenger side I had trouble with the bolt behind the number 6 cylinder. No room to play. So what I did is ground of the short end of an allen key to about half the size and that gave me more room to maneuver. Once the headers were in I connected the sensors, put in my motor mount through bolts (which could have been done before). I also made sure to zip tie a few wires out of the way so they don't rest on the headers. I couldn't remember where the rear alternator bracket went on the original manifold so I'll fiddle with that when I put the accessories back on. Either the stud will go back on or I'll make it work.





What I used as far as bolts and tools. 3/8-16 1" stainless steel hex cap bolts with lock washers and several variations of allen keys. I got a nice set of the ball end hex keys at grainger, they are eklind.

A few more little projects at this pace and I'll be done....can't wait.

Matthew

-=Jeff=- wrote:
Honestly, i would buy the ball /socket set and cut the flanges off the headers and weld the ball style on there..

the ball and socket is what i used on my 89 and I did then same, I cut the 3 bolt flange off and with the ball and socket style, the sealing was better.

Livin_the_dream wrote:
Quote:

BillH wrote:
Quote:

Matatk wrote:
Overall I wish I had a lift to do this job.

Matthew

Yea, everybody wants a lift, I sure do.

It's the best investment I ever made.

flyboy wrote:
Quote:

biggrizzly wrote:
That dude loves the C4. He is so excited about getting that car! I have read so many negative threads on CF about older C4s that had the same issues. Its refreshing to see someone take those issues and fix them without whining about it!!

Yeah, I love their enthusiasm and that they really appreciate the car for what it is, a great piece of American muscle, a Corvette!

Durango_Boy wrote:
Just a tip, find a local shop that rebuilds alternators and starters. They will usually use a higher grade part than the Chinese people who put together the store bought cookie cutter units.

I will usually buy an alternator that was built in the smaller shop. They can also test your store bought unit and tell you if it's in tip top shape, and if need be, they can rebuild it inexpensively using much better parts.

pappyfreebird wrote:
i use Fiebing's Leather Dye i git local but a place called tandy leather sells it..i been playun wid leathar long time n its good chit,, sumtimes might try a dash a laquare thinner on rag wipe round n then stain specially ifn tryun change a colour..afta readin sumone elses tale of doin wheel awhilst back i went out n did mine n the shifter leather,, black a course so easy..evin used a tinge a silicone in a lil crack let dry ndabbed a tad a die ova it n walla no crackie

DaleD wrote:
I dyed my steering wheel and the results are awesome. So, I thought I'd buy some leather dye, since my driver's seat has some wear on the bolster. My interior is flame red, for an 87. Specified that, bought the kit.
First thing I noticed is the kit looks like something a 3rd grader would put together with a chemistry set and his Dad's PC to make the labels. And it worked just about as well.
It's not a dye, it's a paint. And what's worse, the color match is not there, it's about 10 shades off, it's kind of a pink.
The kit is open and used, I have no shot of getting anything back from Ecklers, but I'm warning you guys, if you're looking at dying your seats, stay away from Ecklers. I'm very surprised and disappointed that Ecklers didn't do any quality control on this stuff. I guess Ecklers figures buyer beware. I figure I won't be using Ecklers.

jhammons01 wrote:
make sure your line wrenches are quality....the cheapo ones round off the fittings

vetteoz wrote:
I disconnect the TV cable at the TB and remove with trans

Matatk wrote:
Good Morning CGs!

Slept in a bit this morning and it was nice. I found some extra energy last night so I started cleaning up the garage. Spent a couple hours and it barely looks like I did anything! Started organizing my toolbox a bit and there's still a lot of room for more stuff. Guess it's time to buy more tools! Ha. Actually, I need to organize my garage better. I'm trying to keep my mechanic's/car tools separate from my house tools the best I can. We'll see how that works out.

Got a lot on my plate today. Go get fitted for my tux. Work in the garage and try to pull the trans. Cut the back grass (did the front yesterday). And then take a nap before we go out tonight to celebrate my BILs bday. Whew.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Matthew

Matatk wrote:
Yeah, boys and girls, I aim to please

TommyT-Bone wrote:
To women, cars often signify the high cost of ownership. If he can afford a high cost car he might just be a candidate for a high maintenance woman. There are some women that are different. They can appreciate a fine piece of machinery when they see one.

flyboy wrote:
Hopefully you'll see some results sooner rather than later.

Matatk wrote:
I actually found a guy that builds transmissions for work that will give me a killer price. I'm mulling it over.

Matthew

Matatk wrote:
Quote:

RickAnthony wrote:
Can't wait till you do the trans that will be fun! It's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be once it's on the bench, just takes some technique like everything else...
-=Rick

Yeah.....I had a dream the other night that you bought a used 700 trans for $100 that was blown up and brought it over to my house so we could build it. It's a sign! I've been kicking it around, depending on what the turn around time on the machine shop is.

Matthew

Matatk wrote:
Kevin - I had already wanted to rebuild it in conjunction with my top end rebuild. I am of the notion that you should refresh everything on a higher mileage car when you're doing that. Just my opinion. Of course it was covered in gunk from years of oil leaks. I was also concerned about some metal, possibly bearing, shavings in the oil change. I thought the head gasket might be weeping, but turned out to be ok.

Don - I took one break the first day to get some lunch and run to the store for my wife. Maybe an hour and a half or so. Worked from 8:30 til 9 pm the first day. Second day I only worked about 3 hours total, pulled it out and got in on the stand and stripped.

Andy - I have an old utility sink that I plan on using as my parts washer. I do remember your magnesium issue with the simple green, so thanks for the suggestion on the other formulation.

Oh, and regarding the swivel sockets - I checked out the craftsman ones, they were like $70 a set, the one 9/16th was $10 alone. A set of 8 or 9 HF Pittsburgh swivel sockets is $24.99. Guess I know which one I'll be getting.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf ... item.taf?Itemnumber=40985

Matthew

flyboy wrote:
Well, if it has the Bogus seal of approval I'll have to try it. I did not buy one because I pictured the rear glass shaking and rattling.

Matatk wrote:
Well I had zero inclination to go in the garage today, but I popped my head in for one minute. I couldn't find a part number on those head gaskets, might have been corroded.

I also checked the cylinder walls a little better. They were smooth with zero scoring and didn't appear to be glazed. Also, the ridge I thought I felt on the cylinder seems to have been some corrosion or junk built up on the lip. So it's visually in good shape, but wouldn't actually know without some type of mechanical indicator.

On a side note, the builder I was gonna use is backed up with 6 other engines and can't do mine. I'm not happy. I have a couple more leads to track down.

Matthew

Matatk wrote:
When my daughter starts dating this is the speech the poor boy will get:



Matthew