Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

It sure does look beautiful Vic! I can imagine all the neighbors popping out the woodworks to take pictures. Great job!

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

That is one beautiful car there! Well done!

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Thanks guys! I'm very pleased with the way the car looks and sits - now if I can just get the last of the bugs out of it. ;)

nsb29 - not sure why your post about the fluid level didn't show up on the thread but I appreciate the info. I've done some research on the 4L60 series transmissions and several articles I ran across mentioned how being even a half quart low can screw up the line pressure and cause problems.

Today when I had it up in the air, I measured the dipstick tube down to where it enters the case and compared the length to the full level on the dipstick. Adding in the remaining distance to the pan/case interface gave me almost the exact same length. So I feel fairly good about the accuracy of the dipstick markings. From what I've read, the fluid should be at the level of the pan gasket when the engine is running and the trans is in Park. Most of what I've read also indicates these transmissions can be as much as a quart to a quart and a half overfilled with no adverse effects.

I think the safest thing to do is let HRE put a gauge on it and see what's going on. Then if they think adding fluid is the way to go, the gauge should give them instant feedback.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

I'd be looking for a new trans after what you've been thru...I just wouldnt trust it
I have a zr2 blazer..while riding in the woods, a stick flipped up and destroyed that big plug on the trans side..had to replace the harness in the trans...with it messed up ,it wouldnt go in 1st or 2nd gear

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Don’t know what happened I don’t see my post at all but my 6l80e doesn’t have a dipstick it has an over flow tube. When I took it out the first time my shifts were sluggish so when I checked it again it was a 1/2 qt low. Twice now I have stepped on it at about 20mph and had what felt like it lost suction for about a second mid Second gear I’m going to add another half court and see if that solves the problem. I agree with mongo that trans would be a concern especially if you went on a long Road trip

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

My brother-in-law, Rick, is pushing me in the same direction. Says that case must have really been whacked some time in the past and they should replace it all (with apologies!). I sent an email to Ohio Speed detailing what was happening and will see what he suggests. Chuck was the middle man in the transmission deal so I don't know how much help he can be. He didn't respond to my last email after I repaired the cracked pressure port boss. Hope I haven't ticked him off and lost his support.

It's not like I can't get it fixed. There are several quality shops in our area. The problem is that there's a lot of wiring and plumbing packed like sardines around the trans. Taking out the trans would require a lot patience - and even more going back in to avoid pinching the harness. If there's any way to make it right I'd prefer that to starting over.

That said, one thing I learned the hard way as a field engineer for Schlumberger many years ago is that when a job started to go kaput, it just kept getting worse. If a tool failed downhole, getting a replacement via hotshot was rarely the solution. It might fix one thing but something else would crap out - and so it went. Some days it was just your turn to suffer. But a wise old engineer told me early on, "Son, I ain't never been on a job that didn't end." And he was right. We either fixed it all and finished up or we got ran off, but either way we got to go home.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Indeed. Looks gorgeous outside, Vic. Hope the rest sorts out soon.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Thanks, Chip. I'm communicating with a FITech rep as we speak to see if I can get a base transmission calibration to input with the handheld. I spent part of today plumbing a -4AN line from the pressure port to the firewall to connect a line pressure gauge for road testing. Will post details when I have pictures.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

So very nice. Love it.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

That wagon is beautiful from top to bottom. I've followed the build all of the way through and you have done some impressive work. The transmission problems disappointed us all who have been on board, as we are all car people and have at one time or other had to re-do something that we didn't want to re-do. Because you have found two cracks already my thought is that you probably ought to go ahead and replace the case. I would be afraid that sooner or later fluid would find it's way under or through the JBWeld patches and start leaking again.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Thanks!
Thanks, Russell. I'm with you on the case deal. In fact, this weekend I did some research on replacement cases and it turns out there are two types that could be what I have. One is designed for a pump with an integral o-ring seal groove and the other has the groove in the case itself. I haven't been able to identify which version I have. Will need to do some deeper digging.

I'm also leaning toward replacing the converter. What they sent with the transmission is a 10" converter with a 3000-3200 rpm stall speed. Based on my experience, a converter like that is more suited to the drag strip than the street. Even though it's a lock up style, I think the clutch disc(s?) end up doing most of the work. The guys at HRE seem to think they can make it work. But if I have the trans out to fix the problems with the case, I'd feel better going with a larger, tighter converter. Keeping my fingers crossed that I hear from HRE this week to get started. Not knowing what's going on is killing me. ;)

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Car is on its way to Hot Rod Express for some adjustments and transmission service. Had to winch it onto the trailer as it was unable to drive up the ramps. Pretty disgusting, but I have faith they can sort it all out.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

I hope the trans issues get sorted out.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Me too, Dale. Otherwise, my brother-in-law Rick's prediction that it will be a trailer queen may end up being true. ;)

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

I wish you the best with it. They're pretty good dudes, hopefully they'll get it straightened out.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Thanks, Chip. I got a call from Rick yesterday evening with an update. They discovered that the FITech program in the ECU had no values set for the trans. They input some basic parameters and got the line pressure where it should be and the transmission now seems to be working. They'll know more when they go for a test drive.

The throttle position sensor wasn't working, so they had to replace it. After doing that, they discovered the throttle cable was only opening to 78%. When they adjusted it, the ferrule on the end popped off, so they had to order a new cable which should be in today. They set the ride height to the specs in the RS chassis manual which will allow them to align the front end. Then it's off to Belton for tuning on the chassis dyno. I'm hoping I'll have a running, driving car in the not too distant future. :)

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Good deal

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Whooo Whooo! Good news! Who's tuning in Belton?

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Some good news!!!

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Yes it is, Greg!
You bet, Chip. Tuner in Belton is Todd Knight. Drag races on weekends so he only works Mon-Thurs. Pretty good gig if you ask me. ;)
Finally, Dale, I was beginning to get worried this whole deal was fixing to get even more expensive. They have it ready for front end alignment on Monday and tuning after that.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Woo hoo!!! Sounds like you'll be driving it soon! :metal:

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Rainy weather has us in a holding pattern, Dale. Thought we might get a couple of days come this Monday and Tuesday, but the closer we get the crappier the forecast.

I went down to HRE today and spent the morning putting a radius on the edges of the holes feeding the idle air control. There was one hole with a big burr on it from the machining process that was tough to reach but I got it. From what I've read, smoothing those edges can reduce the whistle in the IAC significantly. The car was covered up and right in the middle of the shop, so I was reluctant to start it up and see if it made a difference.

There's a drilled hole that has me wondering though. Most aftermarket throttle bodies have a tube pressed into the TB that intersects the smaller hole located in front of the throttle blade. It would appear the tube is meant to be a vent for crankcase ventilation. However, mine is plugged with a pipe plug. Which means as air flows over the opening, it's like blowing across the top of a test tube. And we all know what kind of noise that makes. I went ahead and put a radius around the edge of that hole, but I'm thinking I may need to seal it off entirely.

I ended up with a few small places where the Dremel tool skated on me a little, but nothing serious. It's a bit nerve wracking, though. ;)

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Let's hope it works. Those burrs surprise me, I would of figured they would be cleaned up before being sold.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Me too, Dale. One of my best buds owned a precision machine shop and he always said you can tell the quality of a shop by the way they deburr their parts.

No luck so far getting the car to the tuner. Not entirely sure he wants to mess with it. We had a nice day yesterday, but he said one of his racing buddies needed some work done so he gave away my spot. Decided to go ahead and drive it home now that the trans problem is pretty much sorted. It handled and rode great on the drive home, but once I got into stop and go traffic, the temp gauge crept up above 200+. When I got home, I popped the hood with the engine still running only to find the fans weren't working. Pulled the relay module today and found a bad connection. But while I was at it, I rewired the relays for a conventional two relay setup. Now each relay operates a single fan at full speed rather than both at half or full speed like before. One less gizmo to fail somewhere down the road. The radius work I did on the IAC openings seemed to help a bit. I still need to tape over the unused vacuum port and see if that quiets it down even more.

HRE was unable to get the AC system to hold vacuum. They traced the problem to the seal around the compressor shaft. They ordered a new compressor from Vintage Air but I'll need to set it up in the mill to remove one of the mounting ears. It's in the way of the block that attaches to the fittings with the service ports. Glad I decided to do it myself as the labor is free.

They left the line pressure gauge taped to the windshield for the drive home. They want it on there when it eventually gets to the tuner. There's still a small amount of flutter in the pressure in 1,2 and 3 but it's a steady 200 psi in overdrive. They ended up putting an extra quart and a half in it to get the pressures to settle down. Prior to that the needle on the gauge was all over the map. Most of the trans settings in the program are defaults, so I'm hoping the guy doing the tuning can make it even better.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

When you have a complete build you always have some issues but you have had your share that’s for sure. I have a three relay set up on my fans with the AC on they both run on low and you hardly hear them I left it idling in the driveway with
ac on The other day to see if I can get the high-speed fans to come on, they were LOUD

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Reduced fan noise was the reason I had the three relay setup to start with. I may have been a bit hasty to throw it under the bus, but at this point, anything I can do to simplify my life takes precedence. I did leave the third relay in the module box, so if the noise gets on my nerves, I can rearrange the wiring and be back to the original scheme.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

I'm glad we're getting the problems solved. Little bit at a time and it will get done!

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

I've arrived at a crossroads of sorts. This past week, I drove the car home, and while it was mostly fine, it was not entirely without issues. I comforted myself by believing the small problems would be solved by the tuner. To prepare for the session with the tuner, I attached my laptop to the FITech hand held controller to download the necessary program drivers for the ProCal software. Somehow in all of that, I overwrote the changes the guys at Hot Rod Express had made to the ECU calibration and now the car won't start. I used the hand held controller to reenter as many of the parameters as I could remember, but no luck. Engine just backfires when you crank it and refuses to start.

As the problems with the engine and transmission have multiplied, I've become disenchanted with the whole computer controlled / EFI thing. I've told more than one person I should have had my head examined for going this route after the issues I had with the GM Connect & Cruise package in my truck build. This is even worse because of the scarcity of people familiar with FITech around here. I get the feeling the drag racing guy down in Belton that's supposed to know how to tune these setups isn't all that interested in my deal.

Furthermore, I've come to the conclusion I'm too old to acquire and retain the knowledge needed to properly setup a system like what I have on the wagon right now. There are just too many landmines that lead to poor performance or outright failure. Like Dirty Harry famously said, "A man's gotta know his limitations." And more than anything, I hate having to rely on others for help.

So I'm thinking the time has come to throw in the towel on the FITech/4L70E. I think I can convert to MSD/Holley intake/FST carb/TH700R4 and peddle the parts I take off. With any luck, I might almost break even on the exchange and end up with a system I can work on without being at the mercy of others.

The EFI setup looks nice, but that's about the only thing it has going for it.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Oh my...

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

I feel for you Vic. I don't understand that stuff either. But don't let it get ya down, you'll will prevail....:sumo:

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

I've calmed down a little from my original post and figured it was worth a try to contact FITech and see if I can get a known good calibration file. If they don't want to do that, I'm ready to pull the trigger on all the parts I need to convert to a carb. Once I hear back from FITech, if I do decide to go the carb route, I need to decide on the trans. Hot Rod Express has a good relationship with a trans shop locally and it would be nice if I could get a trade in allowance on the 4L70E and converter and swap for a 700R4. If that won't work, I can do a standalone TCU to control the 4L70E. Will see which way the wind blows tomorrow.

I've attached a photo of the spark plugs, before and after cleaning. All eight were nasty black. Obviously running way too rich.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

The service tech from Hot Rod Express that worked on my transmission shift problem at their shop made a house call yesterday. He spent a couple of hours going over all the ECU settings but had no luck getting the engine to start. He did determine that the idle air control wasn't working properly. It is supposed to be set to 100 while cranking the engine. Then after the engine starts and warms up, it should idle with a value between 5 and 10. Instead, it just stays on 245 which is full open and creates a giant vacuum leak. We also noticed the valve was making a high frequency squeal when the key was on. We unplugged it and the noise stopped so we're sure it was coming from the IAC valve. The folks at FITech said there's no good way to bench test them but recommended that I remove the valve from the throttle body and hold the pintle while someone turned the key on and off. The plunger should move in and out slightly when doing this. Well, it moved alright and came apart completely. Ohio Speed said they had several IAC's do the exact same thing. So they're sending me a new one.

I'm not sure if this will fix the problem, but it's a start. I still have all the parts I need to switch over to a carb just waiting on my wish list. We'll see how this goes. We had planned to go to the lake for a cruise in next week and meet up with one of my best friends I've known for over 50 years. Had to call him today and postpone to July. This better be fixed by then or I won't have any hair left. :rolleyes:

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

What in the shadangers?! I'm sorry you're having such issues, Vic. I'd help if I could.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

I appreciate the offer, Chip. Taking it one step at a time right now. If this IAC valve doesn't do the trick, something else will.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

This sucks, I hope the new valve helps...

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

I hoped so too, Dale, but no luck. It appears the driver side coils are firing normally while cranking, but there's no fire on the passenger side. I called FITech yesterday and got a RMA number to send the ECU and hand held back to be reset to the factory defaults.

However it turns out, I've decided to forge ahead with my backup plan and remove the EFI setup entirely. I've ordered a Holley dual plane, dual quad manifold and a pair of 600 cfm carbs as well as all the other gizmos I'll need to control the trans, ignition and cooling fans. When I get the factory reconditioned parts back from FITech, I'll see if I can sell the whole kit and caboodle on fleabay.

This dog's gonna hunt if it's the last thing I do.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

I'm sorry it didn't work out. But, I'm glad you're gonna be persistent and not give up! I hope plan B works out for ya!

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

X2 to what Dale said

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

The MSD LS series ignition control arrived today. Got busy installing it and right away ran into a problem. The harness they supply that reads the crank and cam positions has a plug that's supposed to go directly into the cam sensor. The problem with this is that the actual cam sensor is positioned in a totally inaccessible spot behind the FEAD and below the water pump. GM ran a pigtail with a steel shield from the sensor to an accessible spot down near the harmonic balancer. But apparently, MSD in their infinite wisdom decided not to use that plug. You can buy the correct plug (shown on the right in the photo below) so I'm at a loss as to why they would make it so difficult on the end user. I spent a half hour on hold with Holley trying to confirm it would be acceptable to splice the correct plug onto their harness before finally giving up. Will try later tonight when maybe they aren't so busy.

The way things are going, I'm fairly sure they'll tell me splicing in the correct plug will void the warranty and possibly lead to the apocalypse. Regardless, I already have the correct plug on the way.

Re: 57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'
 

Dang