Quote:
Originally Posted by Low Elco
I like the subdued look of the painted grille bar.
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Me too, Chip. Unfortunately, the spray chrome just wasn't doing it for me. Glad I went this direction.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20
I love the smile on that cars face!  |
Oh yeah, Dale, and it's going to get even better. Chip is coming over in the morning to help me hang the front bumper.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 67C10Step
That is beautiful! You are going to get sued for multiple cases of whiplash when guys like me snap their heads around when we see that out on the road.
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Thanks! If that's the case I hope my umbrella policy covers it.
Lot to report...
I had an issue with the hood not closing firmly. After it latched, you could still lift it up about 3/8". I shimmed the latch and adjusted the striker plate as much as I could, but it still had some slack. One of the guys on the Chevy forum suggested that I add some material to the bottom of the striker plate to tighten up the latching tongue. Did that and voila, it's now snug as a bug.
But the really big news is...
After weeks of hand wringing, I finally turned the key on and fired the engine. It took four or five tries for it to catch, but then started and after a few seconds of running rough, smoothed out and stayed alive. The Dakota Digital gauges are working, but are nagging me to calibrate speed and RPM. Engine seems to be running rich, but the fuel pressure is at 60 psi instead of the 55 psi specified by FITech. Hoping an adjustment makes it happier. However, all in all, a satisfactory first step.
Topped off the trans fluid and coolant then checked for leaks. Noticed a small puddle of trans fluid on the driver side so I grabbed a towel and a flashlight for a closer look. There's a pipe plug going into a boss on the side of the trans and I could see that was where the leak was originating. Assuming the plug wasn't fully tightened, I grabbed a wrench but it seemed pretty snug. So I pulled it out and put a couple of wraps of teflon tape on it and put it back in. Wasn't until I removed the wrench and looked closer that I saw the real reason it was leaking in the first place. There's a crack in the boss.
Tomorrow, I'll check with Ohio Speed and see what they suggest. For their engine/trans/EFI combos, they have Performance Automatics drop ship the trans so I'll probably end up going thru them. I might be able to clean it up enough to epoxy it or there may be enough room to wire brush it and hit it with the TiG - don't know. Both options are better than having to pull the trans and return it. I doubt this is the first time this has ever happened, so maybe there's a fix for it.
Two observations after the test firing...
1. The Spectre cone shaped air filter and associated tubing make a god awful whistling sound. You'd think I have a blower on it, there's so much racket. Don't know if it will quiet down on the road or if I'll need to extend it out thru the inner fender and box it like a cold air setup.
2. Likewise, the Flowmaster FlowFX mufflers are plenty loud. If you blip the throttle, it sounds like it has glass packs on it. Again, it may be less noticeable going down the road but that may be wishful thinking. I guess if it's too loud, I'm too old.
That's all for today, I need to figure out my next steps and revise my punch list.