George...

[69gmcc10]

Sorry, I haven’t posted for a while on this, so here is the update. I did get the truck running within 3 weeks of starting the project and it would have been 2 weeks but I had a fuel leak on the cab side of the fuel pump where it screws in, so I bought and bent a new fuel line. My mechanic friend said I wouldn’t be able to do it, but I bought a pre flared 30” piece and showed him wrong! The truck started right up on the first try and then when I went to set the timing I noticed the balancer was wobbling badly so I had to find a new, used balancer and re-shim the pulley. I got that fixed and took it for a drive it developed a clacking I can only imagine is a sticky lifter because we reused most of the lifters, so now I am digging in to clean up the lifter. I also need to rebuild the carb and do some adjusting on the advance curve because there is a significant stumble on part throttle response…..it never ends!

[69gmcc10]

Quick side note, when I put sortie headers on the old engine I had some problems with the header and the plug wire on number 8 contacting each other, so much that I had to add a heat sleeve to cover the boot. To combat this and not use Accell header plugs I had heard a rumor that NGK plugs were shorter than other plugs by about 1/4". If you call NGK and point blank ask them if there plugs are slightly shorter they will respond with, "Our plugs are made to O.E. specifications, so no they are the same size as any other plug for that application." Obviously they don’t know there own product because they are shorter and gave me more room than the Autolite plugs I had before.

So, if you are looking to buy some wiggle room from your headers and don’t want to go Accell grab some NGK plugs.

[69gmcc10]

It has been a few weeks since I last updated this because I have been trying to get some miles on the truck before it snows here and I park it for the winter. I got timing adjusted properly, Vortec heads take less timing advance than other heads so in order to get the proper mechanical plus initial timing of 30 degrees I set it up with 10 initial, 8 vacuum and 20 mechanical. After I get the carb rebuilt I will be making the fine tuning to get it just right.

I have 100 miles on the engine now and I still have 1 lifter that is knocking just a little intermittently after the engine has warmed up. I have adjusted the valves again just to make sure that something wasn't overlooked and that didn't help much and neither did running a quart of ATF in the oil for 50 miles, but it is getting better slowly. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to free up that lifter?

Thanks to HEI451 and the email he sent me that demonstrates how to modified my vacuum can to work better and give it a solid stop and allow it to be dialed in almost perfect.

Next project is to rebuild the old quadrajet.

[derrickmanx1]

Good luck on the lifter. I just came over to check out your thread. Have fun I know I am.....

[69gmcc10]

Originally Posted by derrickmanx1

Good luck on the lifter. I just came over to check out your thread. Have fun I know I am.....

Thanks for the look derrick, I forgot to update and tell everyone that the lifter problem went away and I currently have the carb at the shop getting a good soak. We should be back on the road on sunday!

[69gmcc10]

Is it just me, or do other people like to poke angry bears with sticks?

At my house the holidays bring allot of baggage with them and I am pretty good at ignoring most of it, but one of the bags my wife likes to pay attention to during the holidays is the Christmas card and bless her heart, she asked my opinion of what to do. Over this summer I have spent allot of time with the truck redoing the rear and the engine and that had cut into our traditional “Sunday funday” where her and I go do something out of town together. Obviously this perpetuated some resentment in my wife towards George (the truck). So when she asked my opinion I clearly saw the bear, picked up the stick and proceeded to poke away by claiming “we should take a picture with George!”
The look she gave me prompted me to poke again with, “I know looks can’t kill, but they can hurt!” I then got an eye roll, the poking stopped and the conversation was over. I like to get right up to the limit, but not go over.

When I came home from work a few days later we took our Christmas photo and this is what we got! Happy Holidays everyone!

[Low Elco]

Good Pic! You'll wind up being like hgs notes, once George is all done and shiny, she'll be all over it!

[69gmcc10]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Good Pic! You'll wind up being like hgs notes, once George is all done and shiny, she'll be all over it!

She likes to drive and go for rides in him, but its the constant working on the truck that bothers her. She has already said she will drive him to work next year, but I dont have to worry about her taking my truck. All I have to do is wait for her to let the battery die once because of the worn ignition tumbler and it is all mine again....maybe I should fix it so when she starts driving him everyday I can buy another one! "BRILLIANT!"

[69gmcc10]

The world is supposed to end and I am not done with my truck! What am I supposed to do? Wait for the next apocalypse?

[69gmcc10]

My name changed to Blue! Man that looks good! I suggest everyone try on the blue!

[69gmcc10]

First post on my build this year! To get this thread on the same page I am here is a brief recounting of what has happened since last truck related post.

Carb, I took it off, apart and then dropped it off at the local carburetor day spa. After a good soak and rub down form the boys at the shop I took it home and reassembled it with a full kit from Cliffs High Performance and his book, which I recommend everyone with a Q-jet get! When I spoke with cliff he asked me abut displacement, cam, application and my elevation and sent new jets and metering rods as well. This was my first carb rebuild that wasn’t on a snow mobile, so I took my time and followed the instructions to the letter! Then, I threw it on the truck and it started right up after the pump filled it with fuel, but it didn’t fix my problem of stumbling, hesitation and failure to open the secondarys, so to tuning I went. Long story short, after allot of adjustment I had a bad wire boot and now it is “starting” to run like it should.

Home, my wife and I bought a home and that has really derailed working on the truck. There are some projects the house needs before George sees the love, but he now is stored in a garage, so weather wont be a big issue for working on him. He also came in very helpful in moving, even though he has no choke he started in sub-zero temp, was loaded down with most of the things in the garage, driven to the new house and parked in the garage so we didn’t have to worry about any of shop stuff. Now he just waits for me to unbury and take him for a drive when I can find time to get to it.

[69gmcc10]

Wow! 76 days since my last post on here! I have been workin on the truck, I swear. Nothing photo worthy other than the 1" spacer I installed under the trans to change the engine angle from 6* to 4* and I dont have a photo of that, sorry.

Other things I have done all involve chasing down a random miss fire. I inspected the plugs and they look ok, replaced the plug wires and coil and I got a stronger fire but still random miss. I have a new cap and rotor in the mail so hopefully that fixes the problem, if not I dont know what to do.

[69gmcc10]

The weather has been intermittently good here, intermittent as in it snowed Monday, rained Wed snowed again yesterday, it’s now overcast and 53, and tomorrow should be 70.

Random misfire problem fixed! All it took was new wires and a new cap, but my timing curve was less than desirable initial was 17-18* and my total mechanical was 30*. That total timing is not unreasonable for a vortec engine, but having that much timing initially was causing predestination and a stumble off idle. So, to the trusty inter-web I went and found that forum member HEI451 who happened to be brilliant at hei units, so brilliant he modifies and sells them, recommends the base plate stamped 375 and weights stamped 41 to get 21-22* of advance. I could have ground the HEI unit’s base plate notches larger, but you can also change the total advance of an HEI like GM designed it do by using different weights, so yesterday I skipped lunch and spent it in a junk yard wearing a suit and tearing HEI units apart to find the mythical 41 weights, I already had a 375 plate.

**The numbers on the center plates signify they are shaped differently to allow more or less mechanical advance in a unit in correlation with the shape, size and weight of the weighs. If you start mixing and matching plates and weight you can find allot of different amounts of advances and curves.**

The picture is of the 139 weights and the 41, the 41s are on the outside, and other than weight and height there is not much difference in shape. The attachment is a chart I found of just a few weight and center plate (CP) combinations and the advance results they produce. You can also see what happens when you pace the center plate face up or down. (These are the results of some dude doing his own experiments and I can not vouch for there accuracy, but they do provide food for thought.)

[catch2otwo]

bumping this for an update!

[calvin78612]

I am about to dive into the trailing arm swap on my 72 and really like this thread for the info as well as the humor.Laying in bed this mornig having coffee and going through this thread I shared the Christmas photo story with my wife...she loved it and we both got a good laugh to start our day.Pops to Gringoloco for all the info !

[69gmcc10]

Originally Posted by catch2otwo

bumping this for an update!

Originally Posted by calvin78612

I am about to dive into the trailing arm swap on my 72 and really like this thread for the info as well as the humor.Laying in bed this mornig having coffee and going through this thread I shared the Christmas photo story with my wife...she loved it and we both got a good laugh to start our day.Pops to Gringoloco for all the info !

Thanks for the interest Gentlemen! If you have any specific questions on anything ask away and I will do my best to help.

George has been taking it easy in the garage while it is too cold to enjoy him, he starts just fine in cold weather even without a choke, but he takes for ever to get up to temp. I was currently throwing around the thought of what is to come next. I found a good trans shop in town that will rebuild and install the 700R4 I picked up for $1000, but I think I am going to rebuild and upgrade the front suspension first. I am currently pricing out a disc conversion with 2.5" drop spindles, I am going to do the caster mod and redo the steering with new tie rods, pitman arm, idler arm and a Red Head variable quick ration steering box.

Now all I need to do is distract my wife with something long enough for me to purchase the parts and get them on the truck. Im thinking new siding on the house because it is just as permanent as a kid and way cheaper and less time consuming! Also, it is way easier to distract her, buy all the parts and beg for forgiveness than ask for permission. Also, if they are installed the parts shop wont take them back!

[catch2otwo]

I also am about to go for the trailing arm swap. Also swapping in a 77 front suspension for the discs also. Good info in here.

[TchncnDen]

I know the Red Head boxes can be pricey. A box from a 73+ has a better ratio and can be had for around $100. I did the caster mod and used a box from a 73 for a HUGE improvement, just a thought if you're on a budget.

[69gmcc10]

Originally Posted by TchncnDen

I know the Red Head boxes can be pricey. A box from a 73+ has a better ratio and can be had for around $100. I did the caster mod and used a box from a 73 for a HUGE improvement, just a thought if you're on a budget.

The price I was quoted from Red Head was about $260 and was way cheaper than AGR ($380) and Lee ($445). It will have a 15:1 variable rate to 13:1 and I thought it was a good price. I also found some refurbished 73+ units for about $180, but I think I will still go with the Red Head just for the over sized bearings and reputation. Thanks for the info and I will mull it over.

[Squareforceone]

updates?

[69gmcc10]

I am sorry to report there are no updates on the progress of George, but some decisions have been made about the suspension. The fun police (Wife) put a quick stop to adding lowered spindles on the truck because she didn't want it to be that low and after thinking about it I need to stick to my original plan of keeping it appear almost stock and as much as it pains me to say it, she is right. The truck needs a new power steering pump, I have been driving him allot because I thought that would motivate me to change out the rebuilt power steering pump I installed about 3000 miles ago and it is already going bad again. But the big reason I have not done anything fun on George is between work, various clubs and organization and a car hauler trailer I am redoing for work; I cant find a free minute to get to the truck. On top of it all the other things I have going on the siding on the house is going to happen and I spent half of yesterday installing a new front door on my house.

The longer I own a house the more I realize I am a renter at heart!

Thanks for the nudge and giving me some motivation to get back to the truck.

[69gmcc10]

I am a lazy lazy man....both on the truck and on updating this thread.

So, while driving around town this summer in George (awesome!) I continually found myself really wanting a 4th gear and doing allot of looking into how to best going about it. My research resulted in me realizing that the only way to achieve my goals of a low maintenance drive-train, fuel efficiency, operator ease (if my wife or a friend borrows it) and comfort, were to go fuel injected with a matching electronic transmission to accompany it. So in September I sold my almost new 4,000 mile..ish engine and 1969 TH400 for $1500 and began my search for an engine and trans for George.

[69gmcc10]

And about 2 weeks ago I found this at a car dealership they just took in on trade! It is a 00 2wd Silverado 1500 with a 5.3 and 4L60e combo. The body has 380k miles on it but the engine is 1 year old and the transmission was rebuilt 2 months ago, I also know the previous owner so I can reference any possible problems with him. There area few bugs to work out, either a a leaky intake gasket or a bad MAF, but all in all I think I made out like a bandit for $1400. The only large problem I ran into was explaining to my wife why we now have 4 trucks. My explanation was that I needed to up the ratio of running cars to 50% so we don't look like "those neighbors." I dont think she saw the logic but she let me keep it with the promise that it will be gone "sooner as opposed to later".

[69gmcc10]

11 months without a post on the build thread isn't bad right?

So I have been working towards getting this sorted out, but without allot of time to dedicate to it I have been slowly getting tings done. First, I have been tinkering with my white donor truck, cleaning and sorting out little issues the engine had. I replaced a cracked coil, swapped out the MAF and TPS sensors, and running seafoam through the fuel and intake on a regualr basis. It is finally running real smooth, but still I cant fix the idle hesitating to drop when it gets to 1000 rpm down to idle.

I have also pulled the front end out of my okra 72 donor truck, disassembled it and started the cleaning, sanding and painting of the parts. I have been sanding all of the rust scale of with a red 3M scuff pad, wiping down the parts with POR15 de-greaser, then POR15 metal prep for a little extra bite on those smooth portions, and finally painting on the POR15.

While I have the front end apart I will be doing the caster mod and moving the lower control arm shaft index hole backwards to increase caster. I will go over that in more detail when that process id done and hpefull document some results. Also I have trimmed back the gutter in the lower control arms so if I or the next owner of the truck ever install lowered spindles and want to run the factory 15" Rally wheels I plan to use there will be minimal modifications needed to be done.

I also sourced some 80's engine stands and plan to drill and blot them in for the increased clearance they provide for exhaust options on the engine swap.

A few pics for proof of my progress end evidence parts are coming in to continue working!

[Dave in Ozark]

Read the thread front to back- good stuff.

What is the plan with whitey? Robbing drivetrain out after the bugs are sorted? Ever think of throwing the pink steering wheel in it?
Enjoyed the thread… now get back to work and take some more progress pics!