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© 2003-2004 Brian F. Schreurs
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Chevrolet remains a fairly popular manufacturer of cars and trucks, as exhibited by the overwhelming amount of e-mail we get asking for help in keeping them running. We have a soft spot for Chevrolet because of their long history of building cars with way too much horsepower, so we try to be good-natured about all these requests for help. This Knucklebanger archive collects all of the Chevy and GMC wisdom (?) into one place. If you'd like to make a Cave Drawing of your own, please report to the Main Cave.
From Blaze Potman on 6 January 2004: '85 chevy S-10 I bought this truck when the weather was still warm. Right off the bat it started this deal where it would cut out for a half-second. Sometimes it would only do it once, then other times it would do it three or four times in a row. According to the guy I got it from it had always done it. Now that it has has gotten down into single digit temps it does it alot more. Especially when you get up to 55-60 mph, never before. Had one person tell me it was the "ECG?" valve in my intake. Which I suppose would make sense if it's not getting any air flow. Because it just acts like the hp is cut in half and i loose rpms. More recently I havn't even been able to get going over 45-50 mph, without the engine light coming on, on the really cold mornings. Since I've never heard of this thing and have no idea where to look for it at, I really don't want to start tearing stuff apart. If you could tell me if this is the problem or not I would like that better than going out and buying a $25 repair bookThat repair book might be able to help you fix your truck. But to answer your immediate question, it's not the EGR. From John Strunk on 17 December 2003: I have an idle problem (idle lopes/drops) only noticeable at park or at a light. My vehicle is a 1994 Full-size Chevy Blazer, 4wd, 350ci with 76,000 miles. I have taken the vehicle to two highly regarded mechanics and spent hundreds of dollars and they still have not identified my problem. I have also purchased the original manuals from Detroit and have done what I could. The problem started after I changed my cooling system & thermostat (195 degree) then I changed the spark plugs, fuel filter, pcv valve, spark plug wires, distributor & coil, O2 sensor, IAC valve. The car produces no codes and both mechanics ran the san tool with no codes and they both say the car is running fine. A compression test was done and I was told it was normal (155-160 per cylindar). A vacuum test done which shows a drop of 1/2-1 psi when you see the RPM's drop from 200 to 100. The car runs fine on the parkway at 60-65mph, like a cadillac (smooth). My father tested for a jumped or loose timing chain, which was ruled-out. He believes it is possibly a sticking or burned exhaust valve or bent push rod. Also, one of the mechanics replaced the throttle body gasket and the EGR valve was checked thoroughly. The car was checked for vacuum leaks from the intake manifold. I would appreciate any help. Do I just run the vehicle and wait to see if the problem gets worse? Thank youIf the problem showed up after your tune-up, then most likely something in your tune-up caused it. I'd be suspicious of a wrong or defective PCV valve first, then maybe the IAC valve. From Brooke Armstrong on 27 November 2003: Hey there, the carb for my 355 is a 4 barrel double pumper. (much better) Just to say I knew it....it all went together perfect. It's faster, louder, and sucks back the gas, just what I wanted. Thanks alot*S*Cool... definitely should be adequate for a 351, perhaps even overkill depending on the cfm. From Brooke Armstrong on 3 November 2003: Hi there, I have a 355 engine ( the pistons were made bigger guess that gives it the extra 5) anyway it is for my 85 chev 1/2 ton. I have an edlebrock manifold that will fit the block and a two barrel double pumping holly carb. I was told today that if I was too put that together the carb would flood itself because the engine isn't big enough. Is that true and couldn't I just set my jets to balance out with the engine. Know what I mean? I just want it in there and I think everyone is lying to me cause I am a woman*S*thanksYou sure it's a 2-bbl carburetor? Seems small for a 355. Even a 4-bbl should be just fine on a 355, unless it's some massive thing. It'd be helpful to know the cfm of the carb, but in any case, you're probably right that it can be tuned to match the engine. And never forget, sometimes people aren't lying to you 'cause you're a woman -- sometimes they're just idiots. From Jeff Baugus on 28 October 2003: Technology can be a beast, we have done several 350 sb swaps into Chevy S10's. Our latest venture has been on a 95 Sonoma, fitting it with a 96 LT1 with the attempt to keep the fuel injection. We are having problems with the fuel getting into the oil pan, we have checked and replaced the injectors with no luck of solving the situation. I know that their is an intake manifold for the LT1 that will accept a carburetor but I'm not sure about the optispark. Can I convert this fuel injected monster into a carb and HEI? ThanksWhile I sympathize with the challenges of modern-day engine swaps, I doubt your solution will be satisfactory. By giving up the EFI, you'll sacrifice driveability, fuel economy, and power, and surrendering much of the LT1 aftermarket as well. If you're bringing over all of the LT1's electronics, then you ought to be able to find and repair the defective components just as well as you could have while the engine was still in the donor car. From Bryan Baxter on 6 August 2003: Hello, I'm trying to help my dad out. He doesn't have access to the net. He has a Yenko engine with a brass plate that has a serial number on it. Is there some sort of Yenko database he could use to find out what year the engine was made? Thanks for the helpI have no doubt that there's a Yenko club out there somewhere, but I don't have any information about them. From Fred Clan on 26 July 2003: trying to remove the fan, fan clutch from a 97 chevy v6 in an astro van. Any hints on how to hold the pulley in place while you turn the clutch nut to take it off?That's always a bugger, isn't it? Try your luck with a vise. From Terence Friedrichs on 19 June 2003: Hi I am busy trying to resurrect a headlamp motor from my 87 vette, they cost a fortune in this part of the world [UK]. The manual (Hayes) that I have is fine, as long as you do not open the motor. I have rewired the motor and it runs well, however when connected to the car the headlight opens, and will not close. In the motor there appears to be a small diode, or some sort of technical bit, that I think has something to do with reversing polarities. Do you have any suggestions or knowledge of a manual that will actually show the detail. ThanksUnfortunately for you, stuff like that is not considered serviceable here, so you're pretty well on your own. Even the factory service manual will only show a picture of the motor and tell you to replace it. You can probably get a U.S. company to mail you a new motor, or if you want, we'll do it for you. But if you get it working on your own, I hope you post the results online for others to use. Quite a project! From Ken Admire on 29 May 2003: Hello. My son has a 1971 Chevelle Malibu 307 V8 with a Rochester 2GV (1-1/4) 2 bbl carburator on it. The car runs fine in the summer when it's warm but not so well in cooler weather. It has a beat up after market manual choke that isn't installed very well. I would like to install an electric choke on it but am told that one is not made for this model carburator anymore. Is there only one type that will fit a particular carburator? Thanks for any info you might have.Sounds like rubbish to me; you should be able to find something that works. One suggestion: pitch the crappola choker carb, get a 4bbl carby and aluminum intake. Make sure the new carby has electric choke. Solves the choke problem AND gets that engine of yours to breathe better. From Jordan French on 27 May 2003: Hey, i've got a 69 C-10 with a 400 small block in it(engine swap) and i was wondering what the best way to go was for a racing transmission? I was thinkin one of the 350's but my dad says that a 700 is the way to go. Is either one of us right? Any advice would be appreciatedA later TH700R4 is decent, but the TH350 is probably stronger, and a TH400 stronger still. From Anselm Pauls on 25 May 2003: 1967 corvette 435 hp 427ci tripower A friend of mine owns the above mentioned corvette and it's got aluminum bolt-on-wheels. He is not 100% sure if they are original. How do you check on that?Seems to me you'd need to have the original invoice. Or, if they weren't something that would show up on an invoice, then you'll just have to do some research to find out what kinds of wheels could have been on the car. Then you'll know whether they could be original, but you'll never know for sure whether they are. From Ray Welch on 18 May 2003: I have a '87 chevy truck that won't run. I have replaced the fuel pump and fuel relay, and injectors. If I pour gas down the carb it will run. Do you have any suggestions on what is wrong and how to fix it?You don't mention the fuel filter. Wouldn't that be a kick in the pants if it's clogged. By the way, you can't have injectors AND a carb. It's either carbureted or fuel injected. Not both. From Andrew Lewis on 14 May 2003: I have a high-rpm problem. When I put my engine under a load (like highway use over 4000 rpm) it begins missing like it's starving for fuel. Then it starts backfiring and popping before it completely stops running. If I let off it it comes back to life (until I go back to WOT). If I keep my foot on it while it's doing the missing, it eventually just slows down to almost a stop. Here's my vehicle info: 1988 S10 Blazer 350 SBC 9:1 c/r Sportsman II heads Crane Cam (pretty radical) Edelbrock Performer RPM intake Edelbrock 600cfm with #1466 high-flow needles and seats Recommended insulator gasket and recommended air cleaner Holley Red fuel pump Turbo 350 trans/3:48 rear Pertronix HEI with Accel plugs and wires Hedman Headers I run fuel pressure at the recommended 5psi and I've adjusted the floats a million times. The engine is in tune pretty good timing wise. I put the 1466's in the carb and I got a little higher rpm out of it before it went nuts. I have no vacuum leaks. I also have a stock 402 BBC with the same carb on it (only alot older) and it too stumbles at WOT. I've tried every step-up spring and no difference. Could it be the carb is too small?? Jets?? I'm pulling my hair out with this problem and Edelbrock parts aren't cheap.I also tried the off-road needles and seats and it wouldn't run at all! I verified that the needles are opening up right and the floats are per instructions (7/16" and 15/16"). HELP!!!Hummm, actually, I was wondering how your ignition is holding up. Got a nice strong spark even under load? Plugs are right for the car, gapped correctly? Coil up to snuff? It sure sounds like your ignition may be having some trouble keeping up with the load. From 99th Towns on 20 April 2003: I am trying to refinish an interior to a 76 which has the original standard door panels on it. My problem is that the NOS's want to sell me and are telling me that my panels come with the basketweave. The OEM's on this Vette are plain inserts: no basket weave, wood, or black insert. They are telling me that such a panel does not exist. My Vette was one of the later MY productions built I understand that at times they (GM) make changes on the fly at the assembly plant. Where do I go from here?If you're absolutely certain that your panels are original, then maybe you can persuade one of the companies to start making reproductions. You'd probably have to document it though, so start bringing your camera to car shows. Otherwise, find a place willing to do custom work and have a couple panels made to your specification. From William Barrentine on 17 April 2003: Good morning, I own a 1986 Corvette Convertible. The left Headlamp Motor (Driver's side) has malfunctioned and I need a replacement. Do you have such motor and if so at what cost? I NEED HELPI still don't sell car parts, but you may want to check with Mid-America Designs, Eckler's, or Zip Products, all of which specialize in Corvette parts. From the 21st West Coast Chopper on 14 April 2003: if i wanted to supe up a 1995 chevy conversion van with a 350 how would i go along doing so. where would be a good source to buy the parts from.Although the Chevy 350 engine is rare, you'll occasionally see articles about modifying it in magazines such as Car Craft and Super Chevy. Also, Summit Racing and Jeg's High Performance still maintain a selection of parts for these engines. From Corey Fields on 1 April 2003: I'm the 'proud' owner of a 1986 Chevy Silverado C10 pickup. It's a hand-me-down from grandpa. It sports the notorious 305 and all I can think about is "How can I make this thing kick?". It's a carburated engine and I know there's a number of simple, bolt-on things I can do. But what's holding me back it the presence of this damned black canister that, one way or another, attches to ever part under the hood. What the hell is it, and how can I get it out of the way?Sounds like the vapor caniser to me, an emissions component. You can remove it if you're not in an emissions state. Just be sure to plug all the vacuum lines (chances are a whole bunch of them are broken already). Probably the best way to extract performance from the 305 is to strap it in the bed of your truck while you drive around with your new 350 under the hood. Not to be a cynic or anything. From Robert Gibson on 17 March 2003: Can you suggest any other cars that would be good for the LT1? I don't have my heart set on a Caprice, I just thought that might be the easiest way to go. Also, do you have any tips on swapping out such a powerful engine?Well, an LT1 is basically a smallblock Chevy with a few interesting tweaks (reverse cooling, optispark, etc.) so it can be made to fit in pretty much anything that'll take a Chevy 350. An F-body would be a cinch (especially a 4th gen, which came with an LT1 to begin with). Fieros have been done though I don't know how involved this is. If you like British you could find a Jag with a buggered engine. If you like 1980s muscle you could get it into a pre-89 Monte Carlo without too much trouble. Of course almost any GM truck will take it, and it should fit into any 1960s/70s GM musclecar you please. A 1963-67 Corvette is probably too expensive, even the scrap parts are worth money on those things, which is a shame coz an LT1-powered '67 roadster would be sweeeeet. For the sleeper effect I'd do an early-80s Malibu or a mid-80s Caprice Wagon. You could also probably really wake up any of the 1980s Cadillac sleds. As far as swapping out a powerful engine, I guess I'm not entirely sure what you mean. The engine swap itself naturally doesn't care how powerful the engine is. If you mean beefing up the rest of the car, it depends what you put it in really. From Robert Gibson on 15 March 2003: I need to swap an LT1 from a beat up 1994 Cop Caprice into a better body. Any suggestions as to what kind of car would be good for the LT1? Obviously, I'd like to get abother Cop Caprice with no motor. Thanks for any suggestions.Sure, I'd use one of the squared-off pre-1991 Caprices, just because I'm not crazy about the 1991-96 whale Caprices. From Grease Monger on 6 March 2003: i just put a shift kit in my th400 and now if i put in any gear it goes forward....in neutral it goes forward and in reverse too. can you please help or point out anybody who can. thanks.Sounds to me like you messed something up. Time to start taking it apart, checking each step in reverse order, to see where you made a mistake. From Jenny Miller on 19 January 2003: We are looking for spare parts to convert a marine engine to a 89 Chevy 1500 extended cab and we were wondering if you could help. Please email us back @ jendream9@aol.com Thanks JennyWhat's to convert? A Chevy is a Chevy for the most part. From Richard Harmeling on 11 January 2003: I have a 1980 EL Camino that I think had a V6 engine originally and when I bought it I had a 350 V8 engine put in it. The problem is the Tachometer doesn't read properly. I have taken the tach out and looked for anything that would tell me about the selection for a V6 OR V8 and there is nothing visible. The Tachometer shows a much higher RPM than it should and as the engine speed increases, so does the error of the gauge. There is a Tachometer filter (inline as originally installed). I also have a 1980 Cutlass with factory Tachometer and it has a jumper for proper selection. Do you have any idea on how to adjust the factory Tachometer that I have for this El Camino (original factory installed with the correct circuit board on back of dash and Tachometer Wiring Harness)? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanking you in advnce for your time and efforts, Richard.I'd suggest a different filter. There may also be an adapter available. From Stuart Grey on 11 December 2002: Dear Sir We are a British company specialising in CNG/LPG gas conversions. We are at present converting a Chevy K1500 5.7 1997(vin [removed]), using a sequential vapour injection system. If your service department could help with a question I would be most gratefull. On the top of the inlet manifold there is a plug that connects the petrol injectors and is marked A B C D E F G H would it be possible to give us a diagram of the plug showing wich letters or wire colours are allocated to wich petrol injector, or even a pin out of the Delco ECU showing the petrol injetor connections. As I said I would be most gratefull. Yours SincerelyI think it's great what you guys are doing, but I don't have any information that would help you. The best I can offer is to buy a service manual on your behalf and ship it to you. From Eric the Saint on 18 November 2002: I was wondering what magazines would have information on doing cool things to a 99 Chevy Malibu LS. I have only found info at one place but its nowhere near me. I live in New Jersey. I need to find magazines on who can paint it good, who can put a nice body kit on after they show me which ones they have, also want to find out who sells aftermarket high performance parts for it Thanks EricNot exactly a popular performance car there. The magazine most likely to cater to you is GM High-Tech Performance, but even there the pickings will be slim. You're gonna have to do some real legwork for that one. Any competent paint shop should be able to paint it and install a body kit, though it'll be a trick finding a kit for your car. As for performance parts, you're better off focusing on the individual components (engine type, trans type) rather than hoping there is something specifically engineered for a Malibu. From Jodi Gibson on 13 November 2002: I have a 79 383 stroker with 1.6 roller rockers and a solid lifters with a 400 crank. It has a high performance rv cam. i need to know the valve clearance. ThanksYep, that'd be good to know. You should probably figure that out. From Al Lepinsky on 5 November 2002: MY NAME IS AL AND I BOUGHT A 1981 MONTE CARLO V-6 (WITH A FACTORY INSTALLED BUICK ENGINE) TURBO FOR NEXT TO NOTHING LAST SUMMER. ALL ORIGINAL WITH MATCHING NO'S AND ONLY A FEW MINOR PROBLEMS. MY DILEMA: NO ONE (INCLUDING THE GM RESEARCH DEPT.) SEEMS TO HAVE ANY INFO ABOUT HISTORY, PROD #'S, ETC. GM ACKNOWLEDGES IT WAS BUILT BUT "IN VERY LIMITED NUMBERS". CAN YOU HELP WITH INFO ON PROD. #'S, HISTORY, POTENTIAL VALUE, ETC.?Sorry Al, but if you hadn't had that GM admission of guilt, I would never have agreed that such a vehicle existed. Good luck on your search! From Paintball Dave on 21 October 2002: Hey, i was wondering if you know what a problem that could be wrong wiht my car...WHen you do constant speed either ideling in gear with teh car doing like 5 MPH or when yoru doing constant speed around 30 MPH the car like hesitates and jerks. Its feels like its misfiring...I took it into the local Chevy dealer and they said i needed NEW plugs and wires, yet like 2 weeks before i had just put in Bosch Platinum + 4s in with new wires. They said that that was the problem, so i bought my 3rd pair of wires and it helped it a little bit but not totally. My question for you is what do you think it could be and could it be the things that the wires go to needs to be fixed. Its not a tradtitional distributer cap, its like a column of 6 things that the wires go to with 3 block liek things on the left of it. Do you think that that could be the problem and if so how much would that cost. Thanks for your time...Try putting normal spark plugs back in, gapped properly -- not all cars respond well to the fancy plugs (I've seen this before). It's not likely to be your coil packs (those 3 block like things). From Chris Atkinson on 16 October 2002: Do they make lowering springs for a 72' Monte Carlo? I have only been able to find springs for a 78' or newer! Any help would be appreciated thanks!I doubt it. A speed shop might be able to help you find someone capable of safely modifying yours, or maybe one of the suspension manufacturers would be interested in working with you to design new ones. From Country and Stuff on 8 September 2002: will 1973 chevy nova fenders fit on a 1969 chevy nova?Doubtful. From Keystone Roxann on 28 August 2002: I have a 1998 Chevy Blazer 4x4. The wipers on this thing seem to do whatever they want. When they are on and then turned off they randomly keep wiping formaybe 8-15 more passes. Sometimes they just stop working for up to 7 minutes. I know there must be a device that controls the wipers but am unable to find out what and where it is in any of the available manuals. Auto parts stores don't seem to have any luck finding this part either. Can you offer any insight into this??The wiper controller is likely to be a dealer item. Take it to a Chevy dealer, or a good independent mechanic, and see if they can sort it out. From Tim Marshall on 23 August 2002: Yeah i am a owner of a 95 geo prizm and i really want to have cold air intake but i am having a hard time finding one that will fit my car so if you have ne suggestions please let me knowYou'll probably need to build your own. It's not hard; figure out where the cold air is and design some plumbing to get to it. From Frank from Linden on 18 August 2002: i was wondering if you can help me? i am looking for all castings and specs on chevy smallblock heads. and i am also looking for s block chevy transmision castings any imfomation would be great.Go to Amazon.com or Classic Motorbooks. Both are likely to carry a book all about Chevy casting numbers. From Marymargaret Comeaux on 12 August 2002: Hi there, I am told there was a Yenko engine of which only 11 were made. It was aluminum. Were there 11 and if so, what is the number identification? Where are they and how what would be the cost to own one, if available? Thanks. MMYenko built high performance Chevy cars, but he pretty much used off-the-shelf parts. I don't know of any Yenko-specific aluminum engine. You may be thinking of one of Chevy's aluminum engines, which are pretty rare, and fantastically expensive. If you just want an aluminum engine, there are several aftermarket companies that will hook you up. From Coon Dog Josh on 4 August 2002: hey ya'll, this is josh from georgia, i got an 85 chevy short box, 4x4, its got a 350 in it with a 700r4 tranny, auto. i hate the tranny. its slow as crap plus its automatic. im workin on my truck, fixin it up a little as i go. i want a manual transmission in it. how hard should this be and what all will i have to do?? how long should it take and is it posssible?? and if ya'll could, give me some links on a few other pages that mite have some info on this kinda stuff to, cause where there's a will, there is a way. thanks guys, joshYeah, you can do it, grab a T-5 out of a Camaro. You'll probably need a custom crossmember and a custom driveshaft, but otherwise it shouldn't be too much hassle. Or better yet, grab that 350 out of your honker truck and put it in the Camaro. From Jason Ludewig on 16 July 2002: Hello, My dad and I recently began a project to install a new engine in our 1987 Chevy Monte Carlo LS. We are planning on putting in an '85 Chevy 305, and were hoping to do away with the large amount of smog electronics. But we were informed that doing this may cause a disagreement between the engine and the transmission. So we also looked into the possibility of swapping out the old automatic for a Muncie M-20, but have so far had little luck in finding information on do such a procedure. If you could show us any back issues, web sites, or other materials on doing this please e-mail us as soon as possible. Any little bit of help at all is appreciated. Thank YouWell, I hate to discourage you from putting in the Muncie, because YOU NEED A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. But to be perfectly honest, the stocker slushbox won't have a clue what the emissions controls are doing (or aren't doing). Remove them without worry. Then put in the Muncie anyway, or maybe a T-5 out of a Camaro. From Jason Higginbotham on 29 June 2002: hello my name is jason. i am buying a 70 series 1into exhaust flowmaster system for my 1996 ext cab chevy. the guy @ flow masters said he put his on in 1 hour . can this be done @ homewithout welding it and it still be reliable. i do alot of interstate travel and dependability is importan. thank you and i appreciate your web page it is awesome.An hour? No. An afternoon, maybe, if you know what you're doing. Bolting it in is just fine though. From Greg Lucas on 23 June 2002: I am thinking about buying a 1985 s10 truck. it needs a new balancer, the individual that rebuilt the motor put the wrong harmonic balancer on it. my question is, how difficult is this task. I'm handy with a wrench, but always a little leery. i would appreciate any info regarding this.I hope that individual was not family because that individual is a moron. Safely removing a harmonic balancer is best done with a special tool, and can be difficult. It's not rocket science, if you're up to it, but it's no oil change either. From Larry Reilly on 20 June 2002: can you tell me what is the real difference between a L48 350 ci and any regular 350 ci engine.Corvette has allawys ment hi performance compare to say an old chevy sedan etc. i am just curious people ask about the motor and i cant really tell them anything other than it is a 350 ci 185 hp motor.A very interesting question! I have no idea. Why not call an auto parts store, and check the part numbers for your car and, say, a 1978 Caprice, on some major engine components like cylinder heads, pistons, camshafts, and the like. At least then you'd know which parts are different, even if you still don't know HOW they're different. From Jerome Hall on 25 May 2002: I am writing in hope that you may be able to help me. I have a 72 GMC Short Stepside with a 350/TH350 combination. I bought the truck and have found the transmission to be very sluggish when I drove it home from buying it for $1500.00. So far I have gotten rid of a huge mess of home made carburetor cable brackets (tranny kickdown and throttle cable) and completed the wiring required to start the engine now that it has an HEI disrtibutor (the prior owner used to gator clip a wire from the battery to the distributor and he shut the engine down by opening the hood and removing the wire.......little too repetitive a process for me), set the timing and the engine now runs beautifully. I have realized the vacuum line from the TH350 to the back of the manifold is missing. I am presuming that this is "not a good thing". The engine has a Edelbrock Air Gap manifold, and I have read that I should not hook up the tranny vacuum line to the vacuum port at the rear base of the carburetor, but rather to the manifold itself.....i have to see if there is a vacuum plumbing boss in the manifold. AND FINALLY my question arises..... if the vacuum line is disconnected from the tranny and the truck is driven down the road, what are the symptoms of doing this? I hope that by hooking this line up I get rid of the sluggish shifting that is currently taking place. No better way than to try it out. Just seeking some feedback. Jay HallOur trans guy Art says: "The vacuum modulator will adjust the shifts based on the pressure differential it sees when its line is hooked up to manifold vacuum. When disconnected, it can think you are always at wide-open throttle and will adjust the shifts accordingly. The modulator failure (it threads into the side of the transmission) is common on them as well as a mis-adjustment. Cable adjustments are necessary. You can change the tranny shift points by adjustments." From Chris Biello on 23 May 2002: Hey you gotta help me or give some sort of advise....I swaped engines in a S-10 '95 chevy pickup to a "89 305 tune port f-code engine...no cold start injectors.. it goes pretty quick...although at the track it runs a 15.2... I want to go faster without a supercharger for a little while. i want the most power i can get out of it but i'm lost on how to get it. I also noticed that it idle hunts at stand still but is fine once moving...could the park nuteral safety switch have something to do with that or the timing? I'm lost i want the most out of it and i'm so fusterated.....Please help meThat 305 can make some power with a little work. Grab the latest Summit Racing catalog, or GM High Tech Performance magazine, for ideas in that department. As for your hunting idle, I'd wager the computer is looking for some sort of input that it's not getting. Make sure your transplanted engine has all of its sensors hooked up. From Andrew Puppy on 22 May 2002: 1992 GM 4.9L V8 I was wondering if you know of any major problems with this engine and if there are any mods worth putting on it?Dunno much about that engine, which is a mixed blessing; I've never heard anything amazingly bad about it, but I'm not aware of a large aftermarket for it either. From Danny the Ravioli Eater on 8 May 2002: i have a 2000 chevy malibu and i can not find any coldair intakes for it.do you know a way i could make one i just dont know how to do it.if you could would you email me backDefinitely not going to find one off the shelf, pastaboy. But building your own isn't rocket science; get a sheet of gasket material, take some measurements, and go shopping at Home Depot Racer's Supply. It may not be pretty but sooner or later you'll figure out how to make it work. From a small person with a big truck on 30 April 2002: I have a 1995 GMC Sierra Z71 The simple question is that it will not shift into 4x4. The shifter will shift all the way back but the indicator light wouldn't come on. I checked to see if the front whells were turning and they weren't. Could there possibly be somthing easy that I can check to fix it? I have checked the wires and the linkage it seems to be ok. Can you help me?If you've already checked the wires and the linkage, then it's not going to be something easy. Time for a real mechanic. From Sherrie Mota on 23 April 2002: Can you search for someone selling parts off of a 96 Chevy Blazer. I would really appreciate it. Thanks, S.M.I could, but what would be the point? I don't need any Blazer parts. From Frank Roxas on 13 April 2002: Hey guys. Do you know of any performance suspension manufactures for full size GM cars? This would include cars like the new Impala or the Buick LeSabre. If you do, would you send me any information on how to contact them. I would much appreciate it. You guys got a pretty cool site. Keep it up.Hi! Thanks for the compliments. Unfortunately I don't know of anyone making performance parts for the Impys and LeSabres. SLP has some goodies for the Grand Prix, so they might know where to go for the bigger cars. Otherwise just start contacting companies individually -- Eibach for springs, www.shox.com for Bilstein shocks & struts, ADDCO for sway bars. You may be able to piece something together on your own, with some diligence. From Ron Mucci on 24 March 2002: Hello, I drag race a 81 blown sm/blk chevy Vette. The front end is mainly stock. Can I put a big block Chevy (Merlin or Gen VI) block in the stock motor mount location? Also, would the dimension be the same from the motor mounts to where the turbo 400 tranny bolts in? I appreciate any and all help. Ron Mucci "The Warlock" www.warlockdragracingteam.comAs far as I know, you'll have to do some mods to get a big block in there. But I'm the wrong person to ask; get yourself a copy of Corvette Fever or Vette magazine and browse the ads for conversion specialists. From Nicole Roshon on 19 March 2002: Hello there, I have a 1975 Chevy Vega Cosworth Production #79 with only 47k original miles. When it was first purchased from the dealership in 75� it had some cosmetic blemishes and the dealership repainted the car. Other than that it has never been wrecked or had any other kind of bodywork done to it. The body is in excellent condition and after the years it could use another paint job. I do some work with museums and auto dealers across the country and have no need for this type of vehicle, but feel it should be in a museum or sold to a real enthusiast. I am working on getting some pictures and will forward them if the interest is there. Please let me know if you know of anyone who might be interested in purchasing this vehicle. I appreciate you taking the time to read this message. Sincerely, Nicole Roshon www.ClermontWeb.com PH: 513.625.0324 FX: 800.866.6293Tell you what, how about you give me the car in exchange for all my scintillating articles that you've enjoyed reading for free on this website? From Denise the Firefighter's Mom on 4 March 2002: To whom it may concern, I am looking for Lakester stainless steel headers for a small block Chevy engine. Do you have any of these or can you direct me where to find them? Please e-mail me at firefightersmom2001@yahoo.com. ThanksLakester headers aren't a brand; they're a style. Any decent street rodder shop ought to be able to hook you up. As for me, no, I don't have any, since I lack a lakester, a smallblock Chevy, and a parts store. From Johnny Stepp on 4 March 2002: I HAVE A 1978 MALIBU CLASSIC LANDUA AND I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIND A WEB SITE THAT TELLS ALL THE FACTORY SPECS ON THIS CAR AND I CANT FIND ANYTHING. SO IF YOU KNOW OF ANY WEBSITES I COULD GO TO I WOULD APPRECIATE IT THANK YOU, JOHNNYHi Johnny. Look, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but what you have there is known as a piece of crap. Now, don't feel too bad, lots of cars that ultimately became popular "alternative" cars started out as pieces of crap. Just ask the AMC guys. But your Malibu is only just beginning the curve of non-crappiness and has a ways to go. Because of that, webpages dedicated to it are few. If you do a search for "78 Chevy Malibu" on a search engine you'll get a lot of hits to classified sites where people are trying to unload these things, but you'll also find a couple of enthusiast pages. As for factory specs, it's probably up to you to put that page together. Get some old car magazines, if you can find any that paid attention to the Malibu when it was new, and some vintage dealer literature, and put something together. From Livia Petrus on 24 February 2002: My Metro's engine turned off, after I had been waiting at a traffic light. When green came, I accelerated as usually, and the engin shot down in the middle of the intersection. The car rolled forward, and when I tried to restart it, the engine sounded like it was going to run regularly, but when the key was not turned any more, the engine would also not turn. Ironically, the lights for the battery and for gas were on when the car stopped. However, the battery was new, and had been changed half an hour before the incident. The light for gas was on, even though the instruments were showing a half full gas tank. Even though I got more gas and poured it in the tank, the engine would not start, but only turned as long as I kept the key turned. Now, when I turn the key, there is only an electric sound, and the engine makes no noise. The sound can be heard in electric vehicles. Please contact me at alomateck10@netscape.net if you can tell me what might be wrong with the car.Well for starters, you killed the battery by cranking the engine till it went "click". So you'll need to take care of that before you can pursue any other issues. As for what caused the problem in the first place, my guess would be a clogged fuel filter. Always start with the cheapest solution first. From Chris Wood on 22 February 2002: (sorry, this turned into a rant here) I'm personally beginning on a project to build a car that has never existed before, to my knowledge. A Chevette Limo. I have had 7 of these cars, and have 3 left. Using the front portion of a 1978 2 door, the rear section of a 1979 four door and a custom chassis I'm still designing. The vehicle, will consist of a rolling chassis and engine, indeppendant of the body, using a rear end and leaf springs fom a 1988 Chevy S10, and a 1980 Chevette 1600cc High output engine with the holley 5210 dual barrel carb and the stock High Flow dual port exhaust manifold (the non HO engines had a single port 1 5/8" fitting and a holley 6510). I may decide to upgrade the car to a 305 CI engine from a 1971 ChevyVan that I've had my eye on for $400. My intention is to add no less than 2.5 feet and no more than 4 feet to the wheelbase of a base 4 door vette. The exact length depends on what I can find at my local junkyard for a longish driveshaft that will fit into a THM180/200 transmition and onto the rear end's u-joint. A long bed extended cab s10 / gmc s15? For added strength the two body halves will be welded together with 2" box steel, strong enough to not need the main chassis. The reason for hte seperate chassis is that, I'm going to add about 4-5" of height from the engine/trans and body to the ground. and make way for MUCH larger tires. For you see this summer I took off the piddley 175/70R13 I got with my chevette ("weapon of choice" I called it) for $50 that replaced the orogonal 155/80R13, And found some 1985 chrysler 14" four bolt rims. >From a FWD 2.6 liter Mitsubishi powered caravelle none the less, they fit right on. On these rims I placed a pair of 195/75R14 tires I took from my former S10's wheels, and put them on the backof the little 2 door chevette. I used 175/60R14 on the front. This in effect threw off my speedometer. I drove behind my mother's car, with them going exactly 100KPH, and rated the speed on my speedo, 80KPH. So for every 40KPH I went, it was really going 50kph. so when I burried the needle @ over 140, I was doing more like 175KPH, over 90MPH. I did this at every highway oppertunity (usually downhill). This car was meant to take a beating off road and go fast on the highway, I replaced the radior fan with a 1990 pontiac firefly electric fan and relay, strangely enough, the 1978 engine had no under the carbruator heater and hense no relay in the thermostat cover to activate it, I replaced the engine thermostat cover from one I had laying around that did have the sender, and replaced it with the RAD Fan relay made by suzuki. Sprint/Metro/swift/firefly all same car made by the Suzuki Motor Corp. The engine was a stock 1978 chevette engine with a rockchester 1bbl carb, I put a ram intake on it to the driver's side of the radiator behind the grille, this car being a 1985, it was perfect to do this I just cut a hole in the body, and Bingo! Scoop inlet hole. The scoop for the intake was 7" by 7" and funnelled into a 3" pvc pipe, through a oil foam filter element, and into the carb. And that's not all kids, the exhause was a high flow, made by me! Having a all chevette stock system was not good enough. And the one port normal manifold! I put straight 2" pipe in replacing the catalytic converter. (not required on cars 1990 and under here by law) I had to put in a new muffler anyhow, so a 2" cherrybomb was in order! And to finish it all off, I wasted $25 on a 18" long by 3" diameter exhaust chrome end. I made the LOUD SOUND a little deeper, and otherwise, just looked cool. Adorned with a amber static cab light that belonged to a bus or a truck in the middle of the outer roof, and another switch for the reverse lights because I converted this car from a automatic to a 4 speed standard, and was too lazy to bother finding the correct switch in the tranny. (really cool XENON reverse lamps, tailgaters were blinded. When I got my weapon of choice, it was a boring car, parked on a speedy tire lot, with a siezed engine and no brakes at all, (master cylander had been stolen) asnd a dreamcatcher hanging from the mirror (I had added a second one for the record) I transformed this car, that didn't even have ANY rocker panels, or a driver's side floor. (sat on the e-brake to drive for a week or so untill I fixed it). It was a social statement, to all of thoes people in their little honda civics and otherwise, showing off by soending $$$$$$ on a car that was supposed too be a mild mannered runabout vehicle and thinking they are hot [stuff]. [Make love to] them, this car even with the work I did to it was less than $400!!!!! I made that back by being able to drive 150KM a day back and fourth to a remote community known as chester to help a friend paint his parents house. I'll never make a chevette go tht fast again, on a public road, or use a cherrybomb muffler, but it was fun. Chris Wood Freelance Technologist, 19 years of age. "Power corrupts, but the power of duct tape corrupts absolutely."Well Chris, that is the strangest thing I have read in a very long time. Only a teenage Canadian would dream of making a career out of Chevette hot rods. Do you have photos of this Chevette racer? Have you thought about maybe making a Chevette SCCA racer instead of a limo? What will you do with a limo anyway? From Todd Hartigh on 8 February 2002: looking for cad or dimensional drawings of a small block chevy? Can you help?No? Thanks for asking? From Timothy Smith on 29 January 2002: I HAVE 2 SUPERCHARCHERS FROM DEISEL ENGINES AND I'M WONDERING IF YOU NOW WERE I COULD GET THE FRONT AND REAR COVERS TO CONVERT THEM TO BIG OR SMALL CHEVY ONE OF THEM IS FROM A V6 DETROIT AND THE OTHER IS FROM A I-6. I'M A DEISEL MECHANIC SO I COME BY ALOT OF THEM SO I WANT TO PUT THEM TO GOOD USE ANY HELP WOULD BE HELPFUL THANKSI really don't know where to start with this. Have you tried contacting the supercharger manufacturers? They might be able to come up with something. Or, depending on how sophisticated this part is, you may be able to have a good machine shop fabricate something. From Ed Flowers on 15 October 2001: I'm looking for a wiring diagram for a 1974 corvette alarm system. We seem to be having difficulty tracing this problem. Thank you Ed FlowersWow. Good luck! From P.K. Avritt on 25 August 2001: What do I need to do to put the 'vette 700-9 tranny into my 89 chevy 2 w.d. 1/2 ton p/u? The trans. is side mounts, the truck ain't. Any help is appreciated. Thanks. P.K. AvrittFabricate a new trans mount. From Charles Hammond on 26 June 2001: Hello I'am tring to restore a 1978 malibu but when running [ vin ] It comes up [ A & G ] BODY . Do you know how to define one from the other. ThanksHi Charlie! Yours is an A-body. Here's how the A/G thing works: all A/G cars from 78-81 were A-body all RWD A/G cars from 82-87 became G-body all FWD A/G cars from 82-87 remained A-body Kinda nutty. But yours is definitely an A-body. From Mark Artichoke on 24 June 2001: I have a 283 that I'm building, I have a set of 350/400 heads (cast # 333882) that I'm going to use. I just want to know if I'm going to run into any problems with the motor. I'm using the stock 283 intake & 4 bbl carb, with an HEI dist. The trans is going to be a TH350, all stock. Please let me know if you came accross this combo , & if you know of anything specific I'll need to do. Oh yeah, do I need to use the flywheel from the motor that originally came with the TH350? it was a 350 cid............the original motor has a huge hole due to a blown rod.........Just watch the valves. If the valves are too big, they'll hit the cylinders. Any two-piece rear seal flywheel should work, except for the 400. From Scott Germaine on 30 May 2001: Hi, hopefully this is an easy question, first a little background info. I have an LS1 motor from an F body, the PCM is from a Y body, Both are 1998 model year. I have placed the motor in a Jeep CJ7 that I have restored and it is running. The motor has headers (which do not have tubes for the EGR). The engine harness and PCM were made/programmed by the same company. It is programmed as EXPORT ONLY, which eliminates many of the inputs/outputs from the PCM. I am told that the EXPORT ONLY programming does not eliminate the EGR, and that it will only start 'working' whe the vehicle is in drive. The transmission is a Turbo 400 (i.e. has no inputs to the PCM). The motor has a miss that I suspect is related to bad plug wires (some arching can been seen when I turn off my garage lights). The miss gets quite a bit worse when I try to drive it. My question is: Will the EGR cause this miss, and if so, does anyone make a device I can plug into my harness that will eliminate/mimic/etc the EGR pump input??? When I drive the vehicle, it doesn't seem to make a difference whenther I have the harness connector plugged into the pump or not (again, the pump is not plumbed into the headers - just sitting there). Is there anything else that may fix this miss??? Any help would be APPRECIATED!!! Thanks, Scott G.Hi Scott! This is easy. If the computer came from a Y-body, then it doesn't have an EGR input. The F-body LS1 has EGR; the Y-body LS1 does not (it accomplishes the same thing with a different cam profile). Therefore, your problem lies elsewhere. I'd suggest taking care of the spark plug wires, then bring the CJ to a dyno and see what the graph says. From Steve Amaro on 11 January 2001: MY NAME IS STEVE, AND I NEED SOME INFO. ON THE LS1 ENGINE. I KNOW IT'S LS1 ENGINE, BUT I DONT KNOW WHAT THE YEAR MAKE AND MODEL IS. I WONDERING IF THERES ANY NUMBERS ON THE BLOCK THAT WOULD TELL ME THIS INORMATION.It doesn't matter much; they're all about the same. Here are a couple of pointers: If each coil is fastened to the engine individually, then it's a 97-98. If the coils are fastened to a rail that allows them to be removed as an assembly, then it's 99-up. If it has provisions for a throttle cable, then it's out of an F-body. If it doesn't, then it's out of a Y-body (Corvettes have drive-by-wire). If it has EGR, then it's an F-body; if it doesn't, then it's a Y-body. All of them dyno about the same regardless of where they came from or which year they are. There's a bunch of other, smaller changes too. You should visit LS1.com. From a guy who lives in a station wagon on 19 November 2000: I need aluminized,dual exhaust 2 1/2" muffler to rear of car pipes for 1956 Chevy Nomad if you can help please send price + shipping to Danbury CT THANK YOUI don't sell parts. I just tell you what works and what doesn't. One place I like for custom exhaust stuff is Mufflex, located in New Jersey but well worth the trip, especially from Connecticut. |