Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

:lol::lol::lol:

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Thanks, guys!

Picked up the wagon from Hot Rod Express yesterday and drove it home with no issues. Cleaned it up a bit and then this morning we went to the Show 'n Shine event over in Bonner Springs, KS. It's a nice little show we've been to on a number of occasions. They hold it at the Ag Hall of Fame which has a serene, park like setting. We were able to stay in the shade for most of the day under our EZ up and only ventured out for short walks to look at the other cars or talk to folks about the car. Lot's of furrowed brows when they saw the door handles. Must have opened the suicide doors a couple of dozen times to show how they were done. Also got lots of comments on the rear hatch. We picked up a Top 45 award but got beat out for best of show by of all things, a 55 sedan delivery. Paint job on it was pretty wild. It was a hot one out there, though. Right at 100 with high humidity.

Car still has some fuel issues I need to sort out. Having a hard time getting the fuel pressure regulators and the carb float levels to play nicely. I need to give Aeromotive a call this week and pick their brains. They say the size of the return line can be a problem if it's too small - which may be the case with my setup. Will keep you posted.

HRE was unable to fit cats into the exhaust system, so they tried to replace my Flowmaster FX mufflers with Dynomax Super Turbos. That didn't work either because the advertised size wasn't the actual size so they didn't fit. They now plan to add some Stainless Works slim fit mufflers in the space next to the fuel tank. Hopefully that will tone down the exhaust note. It's pretty rowdy right now. More later.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Great news its finally coming together Vic..!!...its a true winner in my book

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Congratulations Vic! I second what Greg said!

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

So glad you made the show, Vic! Where do you keep all that hardware?

Awesome ��

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Nice! Congratulations

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

That must have been a nice 55 sedan delivery if it won over your Wagon. Your 57 is an absolute beauty.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Thanks, Greg.
Thanks, Scott.
Kathy makes me keep all the dust catchers in the basement, John. ;)
Thanks, Dale.
It was pretty nice, Russell, but I've found over the years that car shows can be pretty subjective. The 55 SD had a custom paint job on it so that may have influenced the judges. Regardless, we had a great outing and caught up with some folks we hadn't seen in quite a while. It's the people you meet (both in person and on the forums) that make this hobby so much fun.

I'm working on the fuel issue. Took the carbs off yesterday and reset the float levels and jetting as they came from FST. I also went to the auto parts store and picked up an in-tank fuel pump that was used with the old TBI setups. It's rated at 35 GPH and 17 psi which is a long way from the pump that's in there which is 90 GPH and 90 psi. The new one is capable of supporting up to 420 HP which is less than the engine will produce, but it should be fine for short WOT blasts. The main thing it should do is stabilize the fuel pressure under light throttle. With the EFI pump, the regulator was having to bypass so much fuel, the return wasn't keeping up and the pressure would creep up to the point it would overwhelm the ability of the float to close the needle and seat. As a crutch, HRE set the float levels very low which messed with the fuel metering. I'm hoping this will be the fix as I really don't want to go to an external pump and regulator designed for carbs.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Not sure if this pump would keep up with your engine but I used an in tank lift pump like a mid 80’s Ford ranger would have. When I went from fuel injection to an edelbrock carb. I didn’t even have to use a regulator. I don’t run my truck hard just cruising but it has worked great so far.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

After adjusting the fuel pressures and float levels, I went for a spin out on the highway after lunch. Made one hard pull at WOT and it never surged or hesitated. Idles around the neighborhood really well too. The AFR's ranged from 12.5 at idle to 14.2 under load. I could probably lean the idle circuit very slightly but overall, it's very close to where it needs to be. Next up is a longer trip to check fuel mileage. I suspect it's not going to be very awe inspiring, but what can you expect from a heavy car with a street/strip cam and dual quads? ;)

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

I'm glad you got it going, and it's finally coming around. Too pretty to not run right!

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Thanks, Chip. I'm still sorting issues, but I promise you, I will prevail.

I went on a road trip to Sedalia yesterday and put a little over 200 miles on the old wagon. Did pretty good on the way there, but when I got into town, the temp went up to around 230 before I arrived at my buddy's shop. Had to sit out several lights and go slow along the city streets. Temp was fine on the highway (185) so part of the problem has to be the amount of air the fans are pulling.

Before the return trip, I added some 50/50 coolant to the overflow tank just in case the radiator was slightly low. After the car had cooled down somewhat (outside temp was 100 with a heat index of 113, so there wasn't a lot of help from Mother Nature) we went to several shops to show the car to some friends and then I hit the road. Car was reading 220 by the time I made it to the highway but cooled right down to 185 running 70 mph.

So while we were running around town, the fuse to the power windows blew but it didn't really matter since I was running the a/c. When I left home, the a/c was blowing so cold, I had to turn it down. However on the way back, it kept getting warmer and the air coming out of the vents was just cool and not cold. Normally, I would have turned off the a/c and ran the windows down, but ...well, blown fuse. So I'm chugging along, the engine temp is okay but I start to notice a miss. More noticeable going downhill than up. Then, once I hit some traffic lights and had to slow down, the temp shot back up. By the time I pulled into a parking lot and shut it off it was reading 240. During the process of running the fans then briefly starting the car to cycle the cooler water thru the block, I noticed I had no fuel pressure to speak of < 1psi. I could see there was no fuel showing in the sight glasses on the carbs. After about 20 minutes of running the fans, starting the engine briefly then running the fans some more, I was finally able to get the temp down to 200. I was only a few miles from home, so I limped on in and parked it in the basement. I'm thinking the lean condition caused by the low fuel pressure also may have contributed to the overheating.

After it cooled off, my B-I-L, Rick (who just arrived in town from Seattle) and I did some forensics. First we pinched the return line closed to see if the problem was the regulator or the pump. Still had no pressure so we moved to the back of the car and when he listened to pump, he could hear a sloshing sound which he suspected was the return. But I mentioned the return line went all the way to the bottom of the tank and shouldn't be making any noise. So we pulled the pump and found the problem right away ...a split hose. For those of you that followed my previous truck build, you know I had the same exact problem with it. I can't believe it happened to me again. Although in retrospect, I should have known to not use the hose that came with the pump. Did that last time and it wasn't up to the task so I upgraded to better line and never had the problem again. Obviously didn't learn a thing from my previous experience.

One of the spark plug wires had come off the plug entirely with just the end of it resting on the contact end of the plug so that was the cause of the miss. I really need to junk the SS headers and go back to cast iron manifolds that have the proper clearance for the plug wires.

The a/c problem was an easy fix. The o-ring in the low pressure fitting on the compressor had failed. It was probably the wrong size and as the fitting was tightened, it sheared the outer edge and caused it to fail. We put in an o-ring with a smaller cross section that fit into the cavity better and that should take care of it. Of course, now the system will have to be pumped down and refilled with refrigerant.

Next up is a thorough examination of the puller fans. The Dakota Digital fan controller has a diagnostic mode that allows you to test your on/off settings for low and high temp operation. I plan to (once again) rewire the fan relays. Right now, when the ignition is turned off, they lose all power. If I run them off battery instead of ignition, I can program the controller to run the fans for a specified period before shutting down. That may help give the radiator a head start when you stop for any reason. I may also have to resort to carrying a small sprayer filled with water to help cool it down like I had to do with my race cars. The proper fix would be to increase the fan capacity, but in order to do that, I'd have to pull the radiator and redesign the shroud, etc. That would fall under the heading of a winter project.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Dang the bad luck.....my Dad had a s10 that did the same thing with that hose

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

You know, it really surprises me that the manufacturer would include a hose that's unfit for the fuel type and or pressure. But then again, it was a fairly soft hose with no apparent reinforcement like the better quality EFI hose I was using on the other pump. So, my bad for using it I guess. Just glad I was able to make it home without needing a tow truck.

I'm mopping up the refrigerant oil that leaked out of the compressor when the o-ring on the low pressure fitting failed. While I'm at it, I'll do some recon to see how difficult it will be to swap out the headers for cast iron manifolds. I'm running out of time before we leave for the Tri-Five Nationals. Headed out a week from this Tuesday, so lots to do and I'd like to get in at least one more shakedown run.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Tri-five owners on their forum swear that the hood brace from the factory serves as a baffle to help direct air thru the radiator on the highway as well as keeping the hot underhood air from recirculating over the core support and thru the front of the radiator when stopped.

The trick, CNC'd brace in mine totally defeats that purpose, so I'm going to add some block off plates made of aluminum sheet to the backside of the brace. The only problem I have is that the ends of the brace have a gap where they meet the core support. Not sure whether it's worth it to try to close those up. It's never going to seal 100% anyway.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Who would of thought. I wonder if they're correct.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

I'd say they're onto something. Yesterday afternoon, my B-I-L Rick was here so we blocked off the brace with duct tape and then went for a drive. When we got back to the house, we sat in the driveway with the car idling in gear for quite awhile. The temperature was rock steady on 200 with both fans running. That was with gaps galore around the edges of the brace, so I'm thinking it will be even better when I close them up as well. On my way to Metal by the Foot to get a piece of .080 aluminum sheet. Already have my templates made. Will post more pics when done.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Interesting, I hope it works.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Knucks has diagnosed a few rigs with that same hose failure. Nice catch! I just installed two pump units in my K10 driver. Guess what I didn't even inspect??

The baffling theory with the hood is interesting! Makes sense and you wouldn't think a designer would get away with a formed part without a purpose.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Me too, Dale. Lotsa work for nothing if it doesn't
It's the pits when I realize I'm the poster child for "too smart, too late" John. The Chebbie guys on the tri-five forum said the same thing about the baffle - the factory wouldn't put it there if it didn't serve a purpose.

Baffle is done and installed. Ended up with a small gap between the hood and the brace, but not too bad. Sure it will work better than being all open. I feel a road test coming on. Dropping it off tomorrow to have the Stainless Works mufflers added to the exhaust system - weather permitting.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Great news- Progress!

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Slightly "cooler" than the original design. You'll be in history books, Vic. Well done!

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Even more progress today, Chip. HRE is installing the additional muffs today and got the AC tuned up. So we should be ready for the big road trip.
Thanks, John!

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

The 57 rolled out of the workshop and into the rain this morning. We were loaded up last night and ready for the road trip to Bowling Green for the Tri-Five Nationals. The inclement weather blindsided us, though. We drove in very heavy weather off and on all the way from KC to right before the Indiana border. Finally outran the storms, arrived at our waypoint and got checked into the motel. We'd no sooner walked across the street to a restaurant than the skies opened up again. Car is covered with road grime and bug juice - just the way it's supposed to be. ;)

Headed to Mammoth Cave in the morning for a tour and then on to Bowling Green to pick up credentials. TFN runs Thursday - Saturday. Weather forecast calls for slight chance of thunderstorms every day. Hope the grassy area where they park the cars doesn't turn into a mud bog.

Car still overheats in stop and go traffic. Not as bad, but worse than it should given the size of the radiator, etc. Probably going to have to give in and reengineer the cooling fan setup over the winter. Also a bit disappointed with the Vintage Air. Blows cool enough air to keep you from croaking with the windows up, but to say it has "cold air" would be totally misleading. Already working on a whole new punch list. The good news is that all the issues so far are manageable. But i do have my work cut out for me when we return.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Well, some good news anyway...
the VA issue is concerning..I was thinking of using them on a upcoming project
Did you do rear air ?

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Shake down cruise, sounds like fun!

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

If you are not getting the airflow through the radiator to cool the motor you’re probably not getting enough airflow through the condenser to cool your AC

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

No rear air, Greg, and it's a very large interior space. I finally stopped at an auto parts store yesterday and bought a can of Sub-Zero refrigerant with a gauge. It showed slightly less than 30psi on the low side, so I bumped it up to 40. They don't recommend more than 50 so I have a little more I could add. It helped quite a bit so I may boost it up a few more psi. I think the o-ring in the low pressure fitting at the compressor is still not the right one. There was a tiny amount of oil there like it has a very slow leak. The refrigerant I bought says it seals leaks in o-rings, gaskets and hoses, so we'll see if it works as advertised.
It's been like "whack-a-mole" Dale. The expensive Aeromotive regulator I installed doesn't seem to want to work very well when it gets hot. This evening as we were headed out to a restaurant, the car died as I pulled into the parking lot. I popped the hood and checked the fuel pressure and it was over 10psi when it should have been 6.5psi. I broke out the toolkit and reset it to 6.5 but I have no idea why it would be changing like that. I have one of those fancy schmancy gauges you can manually vent to get an accurate reading under different temperature conditions, so I know the pressure was what I was seeing. Also seem to be still having issues with the torque converter clutch solenoid. Also heat related. I did get to talk to a Painless rep at the show today and he gave me the name and number of a guru that may be able to give me some tips on programming. It would be great if the issue went away with a different calibration, but if the solenoid is acting up when the transmission gets up to operating temperature, a new cal file may not be what it needs. I see more revisions in my future.
That's very true. I did turn the fans on and put a paper towel up to the front of the condenser and it held it there with no problem. However as the whole system heats up, I'm sure the condenser becomes much less effective. I noticed at the show today, one of the vendors was selling a prepackaged core support / radiator / condenser. The condenser was much smaller than mine and only covered maybe 60% of the finned radiator surface. I need to stop by and pick their brains on just why they make it that way. As I mentioned earlier, adding refrigerant helped a lot. And if more is better, too much oughta be just right. ;)

Here's a few photos from the show today. I haven't heard an official count, but I'd estimate close to 2000 cars if you count all the drag cars and show cars in the vendor areas. We had plenty of room to put up our canopy and boy did we ever need it. Heat index near 110 and only a gentle breeze. We left right after the 50/50 drawing at 4pm and made a mile for the air conditioned motel.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Well that sounds a little better on the ac...I'm looking at another IH with similar interior sq footage to your wagon..when I started talking adding ac, they recommended running a rear unit as well..

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

I'm not sure how rear A/C would have worked for my application. But we've been getting by with the dash vents and the fan turned up to around 3/4. I went out to the car early this morning and added refrigerant. Increased the low side pressure from 40psi to 45psi so we'll see if that makes a difference. The good news is there seems to be no discernable leak so maybe the sealant did its job.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Yeah, I'd rather not have to do a rear unit if possible.. I'm not one of those people that has to have it 50deg inside on a 100deg day..so maybe front vents will be plenty

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

I'm not either, Greg. In fact, I don't even like the vents blowing directly on my hands or face.

We got a half day in today. Arrived around 9:15 and by the time we parked, the car was literally on fire. The plug/wire that connects to the Dakota Digital temp sensor had apparently drooped down onto the last header tube and burst into flames. I knew something was wrong because the temp went from 225 to 305 in about two seconds. When the insulation burned off the wires, they shorted together and maxed out the gauge. As I popped the hood I could see a sooty little fire going at the back of the passenger cylinder head. Huffed and puffed a couple of times and it went out, but poured some bottled water on it just to be sure. Drive home will be without the DD temp gauge, but we'll connect the laptop to view the temperature from the other sensor. Luckily, that wasn't the one that burned or we'd be in a bit more of a fix.

To add to our woes, the torque converter clutch solenoid appears to be pretty much shot. TCM software is commanding the converter to lock, but once it gets above 200 degrees, it doesn't do so. This generates a lot of heat with the converter constantly slipping. On the ride back to the motel this afternoon, the trans temp hit 235 on some of the hills. I could tell the converter wasn't locked because the engine rpm was 2500 at 70 instead of 2000 like it should be. The fluid looks clean and doesn't smell burned. But I'm concerned about driving it 600 miles home. We'll just have to keep an eye on it and pull over to let it cool down if it gets crazy hot.

Shortly after noon, the skies opened up and it rained big time. They announced that the storm was getting worse and everyone needed to take down their canopies. When they said the rain wouldn't end until around 4pm, we loaded up and called it a wrap. Prior to that, during a break in the rain, we went up and took some pictures of the top 25. They did have some nice ones, I'll say that. I'll post some photos when we get home. Right now, I'm pretty wrung out.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

What an adventure! The shake-down is almost better than the build up. You're first submittal was a 9.9!!! As-built is going to be bulls-eye!

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Thanks, John! Sorting out the bugs is always interesting. Just takes a bit of patience plus it gives me something to look forward to. ;)

Here are a few photos from the show. One is a photo shopped shot of our car arriving at the park.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

It looks like Kathy and you are having fun despite all the kinks! Your car looks awesome Vic! Have a safe trip!

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

It sure does look good. A very nice stance. Looks like it was fun and the rain is making California jealous.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Thanks, Dale - wish we could have sent the rain your way, I know you could use it! Hope you're not in harms way. Looks like the Cache and Caldor fires are a ways from you so hopefully nothing will spring up in your vicinity.

The stance may change somewhat. I'm researching springs as we speak. The Hyperco springs that came with the chassis are a bit soft for road use. The front rate is 575# and probably needs to be closer to 625 or 650# Don't know yet what I have in the back, but I'm sure I need to step up there as well. So after adjustment, the look should be about the same - maybe a tad higher depending on what I come up with.

What a day - what a day - what a day! I got the headers and pipes off, only to find the wires going to the coolant temp sensor on the driver side were burned and intermittently shorting together. We kept seeing the temp on the laptop jump around but I was blaming it on a possible poor ground for the MSD ignition controller. According to the gurus on the web, that's a common problem with those boxes and can cause all sorts of gremlins. But in my case, it appears to be yet another side effect of the heat from the SS headers. As you can see, they're now consigned to the dustbin of history.

After repairing the temp sensor wires, I test fit the stock manifolds. There's way lots more room now. I'll post photos when I'm finished. Right now I'm waiting for a product called Zycoat from Eastwood to apply that's supposed to help contain the heat.

I needed to change the oil as the engine now has about 2K miles on it. It was really nasty looking and smelled terrible. Went to auto parts and bought a high performance filter and full synthetic oil but when I got home, the filter didn't fit. Turns out the Mast Motorsports pan has a smaller, LS2 thread for the filter. So I had to return the one I just bought. The filter that came on the engine was an inexpensive AC-Delco version. Not sure why you'd put a $4 filter on an expensive engine. Of course, if I'd changed oil at 500 miles like I should have (before leaving on our trip) we wouldn't be having this conversation.

The 1" bore Wilwood master cylinder arrived today. I plan to swap it out for the 1.125" one in the car. The guys at Wilwood said I'd like it a lot better. The bigger bore is better suited to the HydraBoost setups. Even with good vacuum from the Leed pump, the 8" dual diaphragm booster is hard pressed to build the pressure in the lines you need for panic stops. And we had one of those on the trip which is what prompted the switch.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Still fixing things. Received the ZyBar coating and applied it to both exhaust manifolds. It was very runny but sprayed out fine. I'm unsure how effective it will be at reducing the heat. They claim a 90% reduction in radiated heat, but that might be for a thicker coat than I was able to get out of the 4 oz. can I bought. At $80, it was some pretty expensive snake oil. If it doesn't flake off under operating conditions, I'll consider it a win.

The exhaust system revision is progressing nicely. I reinstalled the H-pipe I'd removed long ago. I found that moving it back 3" let it clear the shifter cable and still have adequate spacing between it and the E-Stopp. I was short one 90 deg. tubing bend but it should be here today. Once it arrives, I'll be able to connect the manifold flanges. I'm hoping the combination of the cast iron manifolds and the H-pipe will reduce the noise level a bit. Not to mention lowering the underhood temps.

I also installed a Flex-A-Lite aux trans cooler. I didn't want it in front of the radiator which is probably where it would work best, so I located it under the splash pan. There's a factory opening in the pan right above it which should direct at least some air from the high pressure area across the fins. Once I get back on the road, I'll connect the laptop to see if it's working. Typically, the trans has been running about 15 degrees hotter than the radiator. If that narrows down a bit, I'll assume it's the cooler. ;)

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

That coating looks great! I'm about to sandblast the storage paint off my headers and had planned on VHT black. My confidence in durability isn't very high. I'll have to look into this stuff! Is it purpose made for cast?

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

No, it will go over headers as well, but they do recommend that you sandblast the surface before application. They offer three colors - cast, bronze and black. I think the cast looks more like aluminum though. The instructions for headers said to take a small patch of cloth and wrap a wire around it then dip it into the coating and use it to swab the inside of the tubes. Since I was dealing with much shorter lengths I didn't do that. Instead, I focused the spray pattern and shot it down inside the manifolds.

The expense is a factor. There probably comes a point where it's almost as cost effective to have the parts ceramic coated as it is to DIY. Of course, when you do it yourself, you have control over the timing and the quality of the prep, etc. If you send it out, that goes away and you're at the mercy of the business doing the work.

Time will tell if it's durable or not. The guys at Hot Rod Express said they go thru several heat/cool cycles before putting the headers in service. Run the engine until you see a small amount of smoke come off the headers/manifold and then shut it off and cool down completely. Doing that several times will help cure the coating. When I get everything buttoned back up next week, I'll post an update.