I'm really digging it. Did you tell them that you're a professional autocrosser?
I'm really digging it. Did you tell them that you're a professional autocrosser?
Just wanted to say again...This really is a cool project. While I have my hands full of projects, I'm kind of always on the lookout for a C4 now (in large part because of this thread).
You've chipped away at it continuously and it's starting to pay off. Trust me...I know what it feels like when they seemingly fight you... Every. Step. Of. The. Way.
You seem to be about to the point where you have more things that have been fixed than not. And that's when they really become yours and you can start to enjoy them!
In reply to Stampie :
Lol no - I'm about as far from professional as possible.
In reply to ClemSparks :
Thanks, but I think I'd swap you even-up at this point. lol
So the Vette ran ok on my first run, I didn't notice a miss at all & Aeromoto reported the same from his first run. The miss was definitely there on my second run though, and as I pulled back into grid a couple people came up asking about my oil leak. It looks like the front main seal is shot, as there was oil spewed all over the front of the engine, crossmember, bottom of the hood, and the RF tire & back of the wheel. So that's next on the list, and while my redneck brake reservoir caps worked ok, it looks like I need to try yet another master cylinder. Oh, and the LR brake light is out now - those aren't inconsequential to change on a C4...
However, despite only getting 2 out of 6 runs, I still ended up in 4th place(out of 6), with Aeromoto just behind me. Of course I was 4-seconds out of 1st place, so I wasn't competitive at all, nor did I have an false hope of being so.
I'll add that while I like the Riken Raptor tires on the street, they're really not up to autocross. I'm sure there are worse choices out there, but the ultimate grip on these tires isn't very high at all. Although they didn't chunk or overheat, which was good, they definitely squealed like a pig!
Oh, and if my in-car camera worked I'll try to post the vids sometime this week.
Be aware of the SBC front lower mount hole that goes into the hole for the shaft for the fuel pump. If it is missing you will get the same mess.
Well well well ......sportin' fly yellow hoops in front of Malwart .....you've arrived !!!! Oh and for those commenting on your parking prowess....those hoops alone qualify you for AHP (shiny happy personparker) status. Always put one set of tires on the line separating your spot and the handicapped cross hatched area....yea that's right I do it all the time. Oil leaks these too shall pass.
In reply to zordak :
I'm not sure I completely understand(and for what it's worth I'm using the EFI pump). You're saying one of the motor mount holes goes into any oil passage near the mechanical fuel pump location?
In reply to Pete Gossett :
I believe it's one of the holes on the front of the block, where the very early SBC "front mounts" bolted on.
See here, http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=138417 , the one hole runs into the pushrod cavity, which is part of the crankcase space.
In reply to BrokenYugo :
Huh, interesting. Pretty sure mine isn't threaded through. Also pretty sure it's the front seal, as the leak was very minor before our 3rd run(like, I've probably put close to 100mi on it, and it used about 1/2-quart), and noticeably worse after the 4th one.
I knew it was using oil, but it didn't seem to be burning it, and wasn't really leaking when parked, which also would go along with the front seal.
Hopefully I'll get a free evening to tear into it this week, as I'm out of town next week.
Pete Gossett said:In reply to ClemSparks :
Thanks, but I think I'd swap you even-up at this point. lol
Ok...so maybe you're not quite to that tipping point I referenced yet. But it's close! ;)
Here's the final run from the autocross.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8WO8hi1dY7Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Edit: Hmm...it seem the HTML embedding no longer works? Here's the link: https://youtu.be/8WO8hi1dY7Y
Looks and sounds fun!
You have a new fan. Lil Stampie watched the video with me and said it looks good.
Pete Gossett said:Here's the final run from the autocross.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8WO8hi1dY7Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Edit: Hmm...it seem the HTML embedding no longer works? Here's the link: https://youtu.be/8WO8hi1dY7Y
Awesome, thanks guys!!!
I can tell those tires are pissing you off.
The older blocks with mechanical fuel pumps had the top hole open in the back so you could put a longer bolt in to hold the fuel pump push rod up while changing the pump. I don't know when Gm phased out mech. pumps across the entire lineup of V8 engines. It wouldn't hurt to check it. I found out about that bolt hole the leaky messy way.
In reply to GCrites80s :
Definitely, and the body roll too. I have the rear swaybar disconnected for balance, but I may need to hook it back up, then find a way to stiffen the front more to compensate.
In reply to Miller Lake Momster:
Ah, ok I'll check that out!
I had about 45-minutes tonight, so I went out to assess the Vette. I have these nice spiralgraph designs on the right-front wheel.
I pulled the balancer, I don't see any ridges that would have damaged the seal.
I looked at the seal. Does it look bad to you guys?
lastly, I compared the new balancer to the original one, and the timing marks line up.
So - can I pull & replace the front seal in situ, or do I need to pull the timing cover(and thus the valve cover -> a/c compressor -> bracket -> water pump)?
I'd get one of those seal repair kits - the press-on sleeve. It will add a little to the balancer snout diameter, maybe just enough to tension the seal lip.
It is possible to replace the seal with the timing cover on but there's not much room down there to work!
In reply to B757Captain :
Yeah, getting it out would be easy-ish, but I wasn't sure about pounding in the new seal without anything backing it?
So I had a friend, he had a car that would leak out of odd places. He thought seals were going bad at an abnormal rate, but it turns out that at high RPM the engine wasn't venting crankcase pressure properly. He'd replace a seal, and the leak would move to the next weakest seal and the leak would wander around the motor.
Kinds hard to inspect one in place but I'm not sure that level of leak would come from a nicked seal to begin with unless it's the wrong one (unlikely since you can see where it was riding on the balancer) or maybe pressurizing the crankcase (how is the ventilation set up?).
I'm not sure about gettign that seal out in place, I'd say sure if it were in a casting, in that case things are sturdy enough you can collapse the seal body enough with a hammer and screwdriver to pop it out, and then use a hammer to work your way around tappign the new one in, I've never tried it on a stamped timing cover.
Hmm...for ventilation I have a cheap chrome breather shoved in each valve cover.
Yes, you can do the seal with the cover on the car.
There should be a flange on the backside. Just drive it in until it bottoms.
I used to have a piece of pipe I used with the balancer installer as a seal driver. (My balancer installer was just a piece of all-thread and washer I made of a piece of 3/8" plate.)
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