(Topic ID: 301562)
Arvada, CO
So after a lot of local searching I found a vacuum advance unit. The unit was bad and leaking vacuum. So not only was it not advancing the timing under load, it was leaking. That was causing a performance problem. Big difference, runs much better now. So now I can start working on things like getting the lights all to working properly.
So now I have reached my first goal and that was to get the car on the road so I can drive it a bit to get the feel of it and enjoy it. The next Phase is to start building the correct engine. The engine in the car is a 62 250 hp 327. That engine is tired... It is making a few noises once in awhile that reminds me of that fact. I now think that one of the owners down the line (most likely the one that destroyed the factory installed engine) installed this one out of another car. The engine runs fine, doesn't leak anything, doesn't smoke or burn oil. So really it's fine for what it is and it will serve my purpose for now. But don't get me wrong here, Mighty Mouse is the plan. It will be a lot of work to do the engine change because of how I do things. I want to restore the engine compartment while the engine is out. I know that is going to hurt... I will be sure to be up on my supply of IBprofin. One thing is for certain, I am getting me a new tool box for Christmas because this one ain't cuttin it!
The wife and I decided to watch another Lucifer episode tonight. I find myself wanting to watch the show for glimpses of the car now. In this episode there is a scene where Lucifer and Chloe are chasing an airplane down a runway with the car. (season 2/11) There were two shots in the scene where they were shooting (the film) through the windshield of the car. The shots were probably 2 second shots. Both were from another car! The rear view mirror was hanging from the top of the windshield instead of on the dash of the 62. I caught it immediately. My question is why didn't they remove the rear view mirror from the other car? I would have never caught it if they had done that. So they must have had some kind of issue with the windshield shots through the windshield glass of the 62 making them shoot the clip through the windshield of another car. Wierd! After the show I went out to the garage just to look at the car.... I still can't believe that car is in my garage...
Ok, so I might get yelled at for this… but this is something that I have wanted for the car since day 1. My favorite thing about the early corvettes is the Shark Tooth Grill. The shark teeth were not used on the 61 and 62 Vettes. GM wanted a new clean look. I disagree! I discovered that you can install the shark’s teeth to the 61/62 grill bar with no permanent modifications. So, What the Hell!
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Quoted from boscokid:Can you take out those seat belt buckles and get them powder coated in matching red?
Finished with the factory seat belts. It wasn’t difficult to take them apart.
C45F09DC-4F7C-4579-AC3E-EBFB2A9E8CE1 (resized).jpegQuoted from yzfguy:What a coincidence
No This one is from Colorado but it was bought and brought to NYC. I bought it from a dealer there. According to the previous owner (before the dealer) the guy that owns the dealer said he had it sold right out of the Barn. But it fell through and he ended up having it for about 6 weeks til I came along. I have been watching Ebay and there are a few for sale in your area. The "big gorilla in the room" for these old Corvettes is frame rust. You can have the nicest looking car in the world but if the frame is rusted it is worthless. The frames on these cars can rust from water entering the frame and not draining out causing rust out. There are a few I have seen since buying this one that have serious frame rust. Really nice looking cars that the owners want serious money for. You have to have intimate pictures of the frame before you buy.
# 23917 1962 Corvett (9) (resized).JPGSo I finally got around to finishing the fresh air flap. Hard to believe I used rattle cans. I used SprayMax clear coat on it. I have an exceptionally nice weather day and decided to finish clear coating my MM playfield. I left a little for the flap. I am worried now that when I wet sand and buff it, it will out perform the rest of paint on the car! 
Quoted from boscokid:did you replace the rear axle lube? or at a minimum check the level and top it off
So I finally got around to checking the rear axel oil level. It was just barely below the fill plug. It took about half a pint maybe a little less. But I am glad you posted about that. It is one more thing off my list.
OK I hit the jackpot of cruise nights and shows on Saturday! I got wind of a HUGE cruise and show on the first Saturday of each month (weather permitting) in Golden CO. In peak season (april-October) there are hundreds of cars that cruise the center of town and gather on the SE side (Old Golden Road) I talked to the guy that started it all and he told me what to expect.
Very excited for this next spring. Man I got to get my engine in…
Looking great and you're making lots of progress. I'm jealous.
Wish I had time to even get mine out as it's still reasonably warm and sunny here.
Well, I got the itch to tear down the engine on the stand today. I found a place to turn the crankshaft but I was shocked to learn that it was the only place left that would do it in the state of Colorado! Matter a fact they told me they were one of the few that still exist in country. They are very busy because people are shipping in their machine work from all over. That lit a fire in my pants boy! So I got everything apart and the bores still have hash marks from the hone. No 6 rod bearing spun but all the other journals looked good. The crank was turned 10/10 when the last person built it so there shouldn’t be an issue. A couple of the other connecting rods had loose fitting bearings. I don’t like that so I am going to replace all the rods. But beyond that and an oil pump change, I am going to slap it back together.
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Newmarket, ON
Quoted from luch:is this an 010 block ? ie block casting code
This engine is a 1963 3959512 block 327 HP. That is a GM Counter Exchange Engine or CE. This is what you got when your engine blew under warranty.
Took the crankshaft over to Mile High Cranks. That guy might be the best crank grinder in country.
He thinks the rod bearing spun due to Detonation. I think he is right. He asked me if the other rod bearings in the center were real loose in the rod. They were!
He said detonation pounds on the rod bearings and causes the bearings to fall out of the cap when you take it apart.
Quoted from whthrs166:Took the crankshaft over to Mile High Cranks.
Dave said that the crank should clean up at 30/30. No welding. Feels good that an expert is in charge of restoring the crankshaft. Now I have to find a shop to press the wrist pins out to replace the connecting rods. Think I found a shop called All Pro. I will pay them a visit tomorrow.
Found and installed the ignition shielding. The shield is OEM not reproduction. Found the pieces on Ebay (junkyard) I am just trying to get all the missing pieces back on the car. Getting pretty close. All thats left is the engine. Ordered my parts through Summit Racing.
787639B3-35DE-4A6F-B464-1E715C57F349 (resized).jpegA6694022-C0D0-43CE-B835-7D54899BA409 (resized).jpegAfter inspecting the pistons, I discovered that they are original GM pistons. Thats incredible!
They look like they have maybe 10 hours on them. I think this engine also has a original GM camshaft. The timing chain and gears look like factory brand new.
79220C7E-4D63-48BF-B0D9-1B1B60B8B8D8 (resized).jpegQuoted from whthrs166:This stuff is the best engine compartment paint I have ever used.
Enjoying your thread and your beautiful car!
That's the same paint I used on my Harley exhaust system years ago. Sanded the chrome with 80 grit and sprayed VHT black. Great stuff.
IMG_1697 (resized).jpgQuoted from JethroP:That's the same paint I used on my Harley exhaust system years ago.
And still looks good even after all the extreme heat and the elements. Plus it dries in minutes. I think I am going to do all of the black portions of the engine compartment with that stuff. It is the perfect shade of black (satin) for the inner fender liners, shroud, fan blades, even portions of the frame that can be seen.
Whew Hew! These babies are all reworked ready to bolt on. 2.02 Fuelie Heads. I already have a nice set so I might flip these but for now I'll hang on to em.
They are a matched set casted 4 days apart in the month of February of 1965.
Stuff for the engine have been coming in. I installed the camshaft last night. Motor mounts, lower radiator hose and the exhaust manifold paint should show up today. Picked up the replacement connecting rod all installed on the piston. The machine shop had a set of push rods that I needed for this thing so I bought those. All I need now is my crankshaft back. I am going to start buggin him…
Got the crankshaft back today from Dave over at Mile High Crankshafts. He got it to clean up at .20/.20. Looks nice! Installed it to check the oil clearances. They fell right into tolerance at .002. Awesome! Tomorrow I will reinstall the piston assemblies.
2A5637DC-0D70-4500-9135-941FCB209DEC (resized).jpeg39172C4F-14E7-47D3-8961-54D359CD7E59 (resized).jpegD263048E-3D0B-40A7-A5BE-C816E4DB8AE0 (resized).jpegQuoted from whthrs166:Got the crankshaft back today from Dave over at Mile High Crankshafts. He got it to clean up at .20/.20. Looks nice! Installed it to check the oil clearances. They fell right into tolerance at .002. Awesome! Tomorrow I will reinstall the piston assemblies.
What a beautiful sight! Wish it was my build!
Spent some of Saturday and all of yesterday building the engine. The oil clearances were a consistent .002 which is perfect. The engine is tight but turns smoothly. With the spark plugs in, I am not comfortable with barring it over with the crank snout bolt. It’s a beast! I did do the prelube with it on the stand. Installed an oil pressure gage, used a cord style drill with a modified bit to spin the oil pump through the distributer hole. This will build oil pressure and send oil to every part of the engine before it even is turned over to start. I got 50 psi. Good enough for now.
27245C4E-5CF3-4880-87F2-7083360F9823 (resized).jpeg6E319DBA-12A3-4E11-B67E-8472A3059782 (resized).jpeg8A0BE408-95F5-44FB-8E40-AB581C656F79 (resized).jpegThis is one of my favorite threads, please keep updating! And feel free to add some more details about the parts for us wannabee motorheads. I bought my first "fun" car this year, an 05 Vette. I've always loved the old stuff, but with no garage, limited knowledge and even more limited time I'm terrified I couldn't keep it running. Maybe when I retire.....
Quoted from Shredso:This is one of my favorite threads, please keep updating! And feel free to add some more details about the parts for us wannabee motorheads. I bought my first "fun" car this year, an 05 Vette. I've always loved the old stuff, but with no garage, limited knowledge and even more limited time I'm terrified I couldn't keep it running. Maybe when I retire.....
Old cars share some aspects with pinball machines. One is buy the vehicle/machine in the condition that fits your abilities. Now you should take a few risks to expand your horizons! This project is not for the faint of heart. I even had a few moments of doubt because I know what to expect. At my age (57) and the fact that I have been rode hard and put away wet by life, I knew that some of this project was gonna hurt. The hurting part began last weekend with the engine build. I have forgot how much work, the torqueing, moving the engine around, picking up crankshafts, picking up heads ect... actually is required. The Big Hurt is coming with pulling the engine and detailing the engine compartment. I will post up plenty of pics so you guys can bleed with me!
1 week later
Started the tear down to pull the engine today and I was about 15 minutes in before the bleeding started. Damn bell housing bolts were so tight I tried to take out a Tricep. But I got everything loose topside except for the coolant hoses. Tomorrow is supposed to be Perfect weather. I want to get underneath and drop the exhaust, starter, lower bell housing, fuel line and drain the cooling system. Then remove all the hoses, upper fan shroud, engine mounts and it should be ready to pull. Wish me luck!
Quoted from whthrs166:Started the tear down to pull the engine today and I was about 15 minutes in before the bleeding started. Damn bell housing bolts were so tight I tried to take out a Tricep. But I got everything loose topside except for the coolant hoses. Tomorrow is supposed to be Perfect weather. I want to get underneath and drop the exhaust, starter, lower bell housing, fuel line and drain the cooling system. Then remove all the hoses, upper fan shroud, engine mounts and it should be ready to pull. Wish me luck!
Good luck! Sounds complicated.
Quoted from whthrs166:Started the tear down to pull the engine today and I was about 15 minutes in before the bleeding started. Damn bell housing bolts were so tight I tried to take out a Tricep. But I got everything loose topside except for the coolant hoses. Tomorrow is supposed to be Perfect weather. I want to get underneath and drop the exhaust, starter, lower bell housing, fuel line and drain the cooling system. Then remove all the hoses, upper fan shroud, engine mounts and it should be ready to pull. Wish me luck!
Your description brought back memories. My first car was a 56 Chevy, 3 speed with floor shifter. More than once I blew the 3rd gear synchro (being stupid and speed shifting). Back then as a teenager I had little in the way of tools, so my friend and I would jack the car up, scoot under the car and R&R the tranny laying on our backs.
I'll be thinking of you reaching in hard to get places to remove bolts and hoses! Good luck!
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