327 - Fuel Injection

While we wait to find out the results of the rear axle poll, preparations are being made to start the motor. The battery box, battery cables, screw on oil filter adaptor, and other items are on order and should arrive by weeks end. While we wait for these items I thought it best to do a quick inspection of our 327 and verify/check plug gaps, firing order, fuel injection hoses, connections, fittings, etc. So, lets get started. First issue, I don't know how many times I've walked by this PCV vacuum tube and tried to get it to fit into the grommet. No matter how hard I pushed it just wouldn't go. So check this out, not only was there a freeze plug installed, there was an additional freeze plug under this one. I tried, but I can't figure it out.

I removed both freeze plugs, drilled a hole in one, then reinstalled. The tube and grommet fit snug and it's sturdy.

Next topic. Take note of the hard oil line that goes from the engine block to the distributor. The distributor for a fuel injected engine gets oiled and it operates under 100% of the engines oil pressure. So the question is, how do you time (twist) a fuel injection distributor if it's fastened to the block via an oil line? Nope, it's not just the forked bracket at the bottom of the distributor.

You have to unloosen a flat headed screw that's located just under the distributor cap. In this picture you can see it just above the PVC valve (double click the picture for a better view). This screw also keeps the oiling system from leaking.

Moving on, this chrome vacuum line wasn't connected. Look close and you'll see the hole that it fits into located just above the tube. I was surprised to find this. It was a simple fix that should have been done during assembly.

Since we found a few issues I thought it best to take a look inside the fuel injection plenum. This thing looks immaculate! Check out the size of that throttle body butterfly. It' got to be at least 4" in diameter. Everything looks great here.

In closing, all the fittings, tubing and connections have been checked and tightened as necessary. We still need to pull the distributor to verify proper alignment on the cam shaft and we need to run the oil pump for a couple minutes. We're getting close to firing this thing up. Looks pretty nice if I may say so.

Nephew James, how am I doing? Am I forgetting anything?

Refurbishing the 1963 Differential

OK, lets recap. This is a picture of the 1975 differential currently installed in our Corvette. When we tried to install the drive shaft we found out this differential uses a 3.7" diameter universal joint but we need one that accepts a 3.3" universal joint. Since we have a 1963 differential on the shelf, and it accepts the smaller universal joint, we decided to swap them out. But first... We need to remove a broken bolt, one of four hardened bolts that hold the leaf spring assembly in place. It's in the lower right of this picture and this is going to be a bear.

A small pilot hole was drilled through the entire length of the bolt in order to get penetrating oil on both ends.

The hole was enlarged, heat was applied, then I grabbed an Easy-out.

A few whacks with a hammer to seat the Easy-out and we are ready for extraction.

Looks simple doesn't it? Trust me, it's editing magic.

With that repair behind us, the differential was cleaned as best as possible before heading to the sand blasting box. Pre-cleaning is done to keep the blast media from becoming contaminated with road grease and grime. It took 3 hours of picking, grinding, wire brushing, and wiping with solvent before it was ready. Just before blasting, kite string was wrapped down behind all 3 yokes to protect the seals.

After sand blasting the strings were removed, primer was applied...

followed by a couple coats of cast iron colored paint.

It looks nice!

Next posting should be the swap out the 1975 rear end for the 1963. Thanks for watching.

Update! After running the numbers it turns out the 1963 differential is really a 1965. Use the Poll in the upper right of this blog to help decide which differential we want to use.

Back from Sturgis

We are back from Sturgis and I am ready to start working on the Corvette. Problem is its been 100 to 105 degrees every day since we returned and that's too hot to be working in the garage. Forecast says cooler this weekend so maybe we can get the rear end refurbished. Be sure to check back in a few days. And if you're wondering, we had a great time in Sturgis but we didn't see any crazy naked people. Bummer. None the less, there's a 30 second video of our trip and you're welcome to check it out here: http://animoto.com/play/4OTQMylRry1bld7lbR61Cg

Half Shafts

These 2 1/2" diameter half shafts were purchased recently on E-bay and are correct for our 63 Corvette. These half shafts are solid but the parts are rusted tight. It took one full weekend to remove one set of universal joints from one half shaft. Aghh... The shafts soaked in carburetor cleaner during the day and they spent the night soaking in penetrating oil. It took hours of fiddling just to remove the snap rings. They were rusted solid in their seats, none came out whole, all were removed in pieces. Hours were also spent trying to remove the caps. I even bought a hydraulic press and it didn't work. The solution? A bigger hammer. Specifically, a sledge hammer and the willingness to swing it like a blacksmith.

It also took blood, sweat, and tears.

The parts were sand blasted then prepped for paint. Strips of photo paper were inserted where the bearing caps go to keep these areas from being painted.

A little primer followed by cast iron colored paint and they look like new.

More blood, sweat and tears were needed to install the new universal joints. I even broke my vice in the process. Compare this photo to the first photo.

And here they are in their full glory.

Next is our trip to Sturgis with Max and Riva H. When I return I'll refurbish the rear end. I am sure that thing will require blood and bruises. Stay tuned.

Drive Line Abnormalities

Just so you know, not everything has gone exactly as planned with this build and the drive line is a perfect example. It's a little confusing but I'll try to explain. It starts with the transmission yoke. I recently bought this original 1963 yoke and it only needed a little refreshing. I removed about 3 thousandths of an inch of rust from the outer sleeve using my bench top metal lathe.

The yoke was then media blasted, painted, then installed in the transmission. It fits perfectly.

I pulled the 1963 drive shaft off the shelf, removed the universal joints, then media blasted everything.

The drive shaft was primered and painted as shown. It turned out very nice.

The yoke on the 1975 rear end was cleaned up and prepared for the drive shaft. If you'll remember we install the 1975 rear end because we didn't have the correct half shafts for the 1963 rear end.

I then went to Napa to purchase new universal joints. I took one of the old ones with me to verify size. Unfortunately, the Napa catalogue specified a smaller universal joint than the one I had. It turns out that my 1963 drive shaft is actually for a 1968-70 TurboHydramatic (automatic) transmission. I returned home and immediately checked the yoke on the 1963 rear end (shown below) and it correctly accepts the smaller universal joint for a manual transmission. I also checked the yoke I just installed on the 4 speed tranny and it also takes the correct smaller universal joint. The 1975 rear end and the refurbished drive shaft are not correct for our 4 speed transmission.

Fortunately, I now have the correct half shafts (shown below) and they fit the 1963 rear end (shown above). To correct all the drive line issues I'll have to find a 1963 drive shaft, clean and refurbish the 1963 rear end and half shafts, then swap everything out. That won't be a problem, it's a piece of cake, this is just a hobby.

And for those of you that may be asking why I had a 1968-70 drive shaft for a TurboHydramatic transmission, you'll remember that an automatic had been installed in our Corvette years ago. Remember the hole in the passenger side floor board? Refresh your memory here: http://1963splitwindow.blogspot.com/2009/06/more-fiberglass-repairs.html Thanks for watching.

327 - First Attempt to Roll the Motor

Ty and I decided to roll the motor for the first time with the starter today. Before using the starter we wanted to turn the motor by hand to make sure it turned freely through all 4 strokes. We were not able to do that by hand so we removed all the pulleys to gain access to the harmonic balance. We applied leverage to the harmonic balance and successfully turned the motor over several times.

As a note, previous pictures of the idler pulley were shown with it mounted incorrectly. This picture is correct.

A new bell housing inspection cover was installed along with...

a new starter. It only required one shim.

All the spark plugs were removed and oil was added to the cylinders. This video captures the first roll of the motor. This is a video so be sure to push the play button (triangle).

This is the first step in many before we actually start the motor. This was fun and it was successful.

Not photographed was the removal and re-installation of the oil pan. Because the pick-up tube is susceptible to falling off the oil pump, several publications recommend tack welding the pick-up tube to the pump. We took their advice.

Did You Know?

The day after Cool Desert Nights the body was removed from the frame and put back on the tall body dolly. This dolly will allow us to work inside the fender wells, the drive shaft tunnel, and inside the engine compartment. Tedious alignment is required where the body meets the headlight assemblies and the front of the hood. The tall dolly will be very helpful when we do this work. The 340 and 360 hp solid lifter engines red line so high that the engineers had to design a special large diameter pulley to keep the alternator from over revving. The large pulley is crazy huge and heavy.

The same 2 solid lifter engines also had an exclusive idler arm as shown. Most of these idler arms were removed by owners when the bearings failed from either high rev's or over tightening of the belt. Original idler arms are rare. Ours is original.

In 1963 327 solid lifter engines were not offered with air conditioning. Consequently, the exhaust manifold with the front AC bracket (the one I am holding) is not correct for our engine. A correct manifold was recently found on E-bay and is now installed.

Gerri and I head for Wisconsin soon, followed by a trip to Sturgis with Max H. and his wife Reva. This is a forewarning that work on the Corvette will be slow for the next month or so. Keep checking back and, yes, I'll post some Sturgis pictures when we return.

Cool Desert Nights 2010 - We Won our Category!

Cool Desert Nights - 2010 Show & Shine was a great success. For us, it started Saturday morning about 5:30 am. We're just setting up in this photo. That's our tent in the background. We propped the hood up and showcased the motor all day long. We received lots of comments... all good!

Dennis and Annette K. brought their 33 Chevy. Dennis is the one that purchased the 1975 Corvette engine that was originally in our 63. That motor rebuild is going very well.

Cool Desert Nights - 2010 was their largest car show yet. Well over 700 vehicles were registered.

There was a wide variety of vehicles...

including this Rat Rod truck. Double click on the photo and check out the size of that exhaust pipe.

Strawberry slush's (adult version) were available for our guests. Tim and Melinda M. said they were very good. .

Annette K. said they were very good too. Annette is Dennis K. better half.

We won Work in Progress! The judges even remembered us from last year and they remembered the Harley from the year before.

This plaque couldn't have been won without the help of all our friends over the last year. Especially Ty T. and his wife Bonnie (for letting him play). You too Wilson (Lester H.)

This is a video be sure to push the play button (triangle).

This is a video too. Push the play button to watch.

Cool Desert Nights 2010 - Preperation

Cool Desert Nights is 5 days away which means it's time to put the body on the rolling chassis. Dennis K. and Ty T. came by to help with the assembly.

A body harness and an electric winch were used to lift the body.

Touchdown! Everything lined up perfectly.

This is the first time the air cleaner has been installed and it looks great. The following is a video. Be sure to push the play button (triangle). Check out the comments as well.