57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'

[mongocanfly]

Oh wow....

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

Oh wow....

Hey Greg - getting closer all the time.

I went down to auto parts and got a real deal National seal for the trans tail housing and installed it with a bit of RTV for insurance. This better be the last of the tranny woes.

After a bit of hand wringing, I installed the side mirrors. Per the Chevy forum, there were three locations the dealers might have installed them, but I opted for the doors. Since I did the vent window delete, there was nothing to interfere with the mirrors. I have a good view out of both sides. They're the progressive convex on both sides so it gives a wider field. I liked the style as they matched my door handles.

I'm still working on the inner fender panels. Finally on my third pattern I was able to clear everything. When I originally decided to do this, I had a different plan. But it went out the window as soon as it met reality. Apparently my ability to think in 3D isn't what I believed it to be. Still, the panel covers most of the ugly going on under the fender which is what I was shooting for.

Last thing I did today was to let it back down on the ground. With the front bumper on, I'm going to need one of those ultra low scissor jacks to get it in the air. Took a combination of floor jacks, a bottle jack and stands to work it all the way down. Kathy said she hopes it goes down the road without any problems. Having had a couple of lowered trucks, I've learned the hard way how to angle my way into driveways and etc. Just have to remember to slow down and think instead of hollering, Oh Crap!

[mongocanfly]

MAN..!!!!....it looks sooooo good sitting on the ground...!!!!!!!!!!

[Ol Blue K20]

X2!! It looks great on the ground!

[Low Elco]

Shoooo-weeee! Purdy!

[nsb29]

Had my share of 57 when the fad was jack the ass up changing rear tires wasn’t a problem but lowered becomes one the scissor jacks work well picking it up by the axle but getting the wheel out of the rear wheel well is another story same problem with my C10 the scissor jack won’t lift it by the frame high enough to get the tire off the ground

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

MAN..!!!!....it looks sooooo good sitting on the ground...!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks, Greg.

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

X2!! It looks great on the ground!

X2 Dale, thanks.

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Shoooo-weeee! Purdy!

Getting closer, Chip, thanks!

Originally Posted by nsb29

Had my share of 57 when the fad was jack the ass up changing rear tires wasn’t a problem but lowered becomes one the scissor jacks work well picking it up by the axle but getting the wheel out of the rear wheel well is another story same problem with my C10 the scissor jack won’t lift it by the frame high enough to get the tire off the ground

I have the same problem. Front is too low to get a floor jack under the cross member so you have to carefully pick up the corner of the square tubing the core support bolts to. Then use jack stands under the frame horns until you have enough room to get under the A-arm and lift the wheel off the ground. Rear is even worse. Requires a floor jack, 12" long 4x6, two sets of jack stands and 3/4" wrenches to remove the bottom shock bolt on the side that needs to come off. It was so involved that I wrote myself a go-by and printed it out in case it became necessary to pull a tire/wheel on the road. Of course, I won't be carrying all that with me when we travel so i'll have to rely on a tow service and a shop to fix a flat if it's on the rear. Probably cost a fortune - but hey, it looks cool.

I had one last thing to calibrate on the DD gauges and that was the speedo. They support several methods, but the one that made the most sense to me was the marked mile. Rather than find a stretch of road with mile markers, I used a different approach. I pulled the car out into the driveway, jacked up the rear and set the rear axle on a couple of stands. I then taped a magnet to the rim and set a cheap Chinese proximity sensor with a counter facing it. So every revolution of the wheel increased the count by one. I got the gauges in the setup mode and then put it in drive while my helper, Kathy, watched the counter until it reached 746. That's the number of revolutions the tire makes in a mile for the size tire I have. I then pressed the switch to store the number of pulses the ECU sent to the gauge and I was done. Worked great.

What doesn't work so great is the transmission. I think I have one of two possible problems. It seems like the line pressure is low. You have to give it quite a bit of throttle to get it to move. Rick (at HRE) said aftermarket dipsticks are notoriously incorrect. When they work one like mine, they connect a gauge to the line pressure port (the one I just recently fixed) and add fluid until they get the reading they want then mark the dipstick for future reference. Said it often appears that the trans is way overfilled, but if that's what it takes, it's not a problem. I'm leaning that way since everything I've read on the interweb indicates a 4L60E trans with a stock pan should take around 12 quarts dry. I have a deeper pan than stock and so far have only put 9 quarts in it. The dipstick shows full, so I was hesitant to add more fluid until we can get a pressure gauge on it.

Another potential issue is the large plug that goes into the trans. When I plugged the harness into the trans, it clicked solid on one side but not so much on the other. It's in a really tough spot to reach and I can't get a lot of leverage on it. I think I have it plugged all the way in, but we'll need to verify it once it's on the lift at HRE. Rick said the trans would work (sorta) without being plugged in, so I'm unsure whether the symptoms I'm experiencing are electrical or hydraulic. Only drove it gently a couple of blocks so I wouldn't think it caused any lasting damage. But it's not going any further under it's own power until we run diagnostics.

The dome light has a short to ground and blew a fuse. Weird thing is that American Autowire gangs the brake lights and the dome light to the same fuse. The wires have different terminals on the fuse panel but from there they share a 15A fuse. So when the dome light took out the fuse there went my brake lights too. Replaced the fuse so the brake lights work and left the dome light wire out of the fuse block. Will deal with it later.

The other thing that cropped up was the rear camera doesn't record. Before I ran the wire from the back to the front unit, I tested it to make sure it was recording. However, now that the upholstery is in, it no longer works. My guess is that they put a staple thru the wire when the windlace went in. I had pointed out the wire to them and asked that they be super careful around it. Not sure at all if that's the issue but I've ordered a new cable (special for this model dash cam) and will test it when it arrives. If it works, I'll need to go back to the trim shop for a re-do.

[mongocanfly]

You should be proud Vic...it looks great..!!...you'll get thru those minor issues I'm sure, and be cruising in no time..

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

You should be proud Vic...it looks great..!!...you'll get thru those minor issues I'm sure, and be cruising in no time..

I sure hope so, Greg. The tranny deal is about to drive me to drink. Put the wagon back up on jack stands today and had a look at the big gray EFI plug that goes in the trans. Checked to see if it was fully seated and heard a little click but not sure if I moved the plug any. So I squeezed the release tabs and removed it entirely. Using a light and an inspection mirror, I could see what appeared to be a small piece of trash next to one of the pins. So I used a Q-tip with some alcohol on it to gently scrub the area then gave it a good blast with compressed air. Whatever it was was gone. So I reinserted the plug until it clicked and seemed to be in as far as it would go.

I'd also noticed the tail shaft was still leaking. Upon closer inspection I realized it was cracked. Cleaned the area well and used a sanding disc to remove the casting line bordering the crack. Sprayed it down with cleaner again and blew it off good with compressed air and then applied a quick setting JB Weld patch to it. Hopefully that's the last crack I have to deal with.

After getting the car back down on the ground, I backed it out of the garage and pulled back in as a quick test to see if the plug deal made any difference but it didn't. Still feels sluggish. Not sure if it's programming, fluid level, converter or what the heck is going on.

[Ol Blue K20]

It looks great in the sun. I'll have couple of beers for you on the trans problems. I hope you have them solved. Fingers crossed for you.

[sduckworth13]

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

[Clyde65]

That is one beautiful car there! Well done!

[Vic1947]

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.

[mongocanfly]

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

[nsb29]

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

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

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

Originally Posted by nsb29

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

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.

[Low Elco]

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

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

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

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.

[67C10Step]

So very nice. Love it.

[Russell Ashley]

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.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by 67C10Step

So very nice. Love it.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Russell Ashley

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.

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.

[Vic1947]

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.

[Ol Blue K20]

I hope the trans issues get sorted out.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

I hope the trans issues get sorted out.

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

[Low Elco]

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