57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'

[jaros44sr]

Congratulations on your success engine and car look and sound amazing

You knocked another one out of the park you do great work and I always enjoy your write ups

Is there another build in the wings

[67C10Step]

IT"S ALIVE!!! Ha, ha, ha, ha!!

Sorry, just could not resist. Super good work and glad to see this fine project moving towards completion. Love those wagons.

[nsb29]

We all knew you could do it

[Vic1947]

Thanks everyone, glad you enjoyed the video tour!

The car is back at Hot Rod Express. They got the A/C charged today and worked on some issues that cropped up during the drive down there. Unfortunately, it's unlikely they'll have it done in time to make the cruise-in down at the lake on Friday. I took my laptop to them this morning that has the Painless and MSD software on it so they can fine tune the transmission line pressures, shift points and TCC lock up as well as the timing curve. The MSD has a couple of built in (read only) timing tables for a LS3, but also supports up to four custom tables as well. HRE has a lot of expertise where this is concerned, so I want them to do whatever it takes to make the powertrain reliable and easy to drive.

I mentioned the exhaust note was a bit obnoxious inside the car and they suggested a pair of high flow cats in front of the mufflers might be a better choice than resonators. If they have time to add those while it's there, I think it would help. (I know, I know - if it's too loud, you're too old.) If not, I'll bring it back when they have some space available.

That's all for now. It's weird having an empty workshop. I wasn't planning on another build, but I'm not sure if I can stand not staying busy.

[nsb29]

I had the same problem to loud and didn’t like the tone ether so I installed a pair of glass packs in front of the mufflers made a big difference. We will be driving across country in aug were going to our place in so-cal and I just didn’t want to listen to these crappy flomasters for 2500 miles! Maybe I’m too old as well LMAO

[JayMc46]

How is Hot Rod Express comeing along.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by JayMc46

How is Hot Rod Express comeing along.

I've been down there the last two days and I'm headed back first thing in the morning. They convinced me to move the throttle brackets to the rear carb which has meant a ton of revisions. It will probably be for the best in the end, but right now it's a PITA.

I swapped in new plugs today and it looks like two cylinders weren't firing at all. Not sure if it was the plugs, the wires, the coils or a mix. Once we get it going again, I'll run some diagnostics to see if I can isolate the issue(s). I also pulled the carbs and put leaner jets in the primaries. However, while removing them, I found a major hiccup. Originally, I had everything hooked up and working, but then had to remove the intake to route some wiring. When I reassembled it all, I failed to plug the 12V lead into the electric choke. So all this time, the choke was fully closed on the primary carb while I was driving around. No wonder it ran like crap.

I think when all the bugs get sorted out, it should be a fun deal. But right now, it's giving me heartburn. HRE is going to build the throttle bracket, tune the carbs and progressive linkage and do a bit more work on the MSD timing curve. I hope to be able to pick it up next week. There's some cruise-in's I'd like to attend before we hit the road for the Tri-Five Nationals.

[jlsanborn]

Sounds like you're on the right track and it's going to run like a dream! I'm three years into a Holley TBI on the Dirty Girl and it still isn't just right

LOVE the car, Vic!

[Low Elco]

Congratulations, Vic! Finally (I hope) it runs as good as it looks!

[Ol Blue K20]

I'm glad you're making some progress. Awesome!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

Sounds like you're on the right track and it's going to run like a dream! I'm three years into a Holley TBI on the Dirty Girl and it still isn't just right

LOVE the car, Vic!

Thanks, John! I'm surprised we don't hear more about the issues with EFI. One of the guys at Hot Rod Express has had a local Holley certified tuner working on his setup for a couple of months now. He called the other day to say he'd given up and suggested upgrading to a newer version. Depending on the age and design of a system, it could be borderline impossible to get it to work right. I've heard stories of how a calibration file that works for a particular combination won't work on the same exact setup in another car. Makes you wonder how they expect anything to function out of the box.

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Congratulations, Vic! Finally (I hope) it runs as good as it looks!

Hey Chip, this coming week should tell us a lot. The throttle bracket and the cables are all done and the car is ready to fire up. I need to get some software down to HRE tomorrow so they can monitor the vitals while doing a test drive. Hopefully the changes we've made will help.

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

I'm glad you're making some progress. Awesome!

Thanks, Dale. Every time I think I'm moving forward, something crops up I hadn't planned for. We'll see this week if any bugs are still lurking around.

[Vic1947]

Some progress to report. This morning, the wagon moved from the trim shop area to the paint booth under its own power. When I left, Rick was working on the idle settings and planning for a test drive later on. The throttle bracket seems like it will work. To get the throttle blades to open fully, they adjusted the pedal stop which increased the angle inside the car a bit. Not sure how it will feel, but when I get it home, I can make another extension for the lever to increase the arc if I don't like the current setup.

I think I'm also going to ditch the stainless headers. They radiate a ton of heat and the spark plug boots barely fit. Had to buy the ceramic ones as I knew they'd be touching the tubes and regular silicone boots would never stand up. HRE has a couple of sets of LS3 crate motor take-offs so I may just have them install a set and revise the exhaust down pipes. Not sure when they can get to it, but I'd like for it to be done before the Tri-Five Nationals in August.

[jlsanborn]

I've used these with great success. Might not be the look your after though!

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/d...caAqoDEALw_wcB

[cornerstone]

Boy, have I been missing out! Just flat out amazing work Vic.

California Dreamin' is no dream my friend.... It's as real as Gavin Newsom's recall.

[Low Elco]

Shoooo purdy!

[Ol Blue K20]

Originally Posted by cornerstone

Boy, have I been missing out! Just flat out amazing work Vic.

California Dreaming... It's as real as Gavin Newsom's recall.

[Vic1947]

Thanks, guys!

Picked up the wagon from Hot Rod Express yesterday and drove it home with no issues. Cleaned it up a bit and then this morning we went to the Show 'n Shine event over in Bonner Springs, KS. It's a nice little show we've been to on a number of occasions. They hold it at the Ag Hall of Fame which has a serene, park like setting. We were able to stay in the shade for most of the day under our EZ up and only ventured out for short walks to look at the other cars or talk to folks about the car. Lot's of furrowed brows when they saw the door handles. Must have opened the suicide doors a couple of dozen times to show how they were done. Also got lots of comments on the rear hatch. We picked up a Top 45 award but got beat out for best of show by of all things, a 55 sedan delivery. Paint job on it was pretty wild. It was a hot one out there, though. Right at 100 with high humidity.

Car still has some fuel issues I need to sort out. Having a hard time getting the fuel pressure regulators and the carb float levels to play nicely. I need to give Aeromotive a call this week and pick their brains. They say the size of the return line can be a problem if it's too small - which may be the case with my setup. Will keep you posted.

HRE was unable to fit cats into the exhaust system, so they tried to replace my Flowmaster FX mufflers with Dynomax Super Turbos. That didn't work either because the advertised size wasn't the actual size so they didn't fit. They now plan to add some Stainless Works slim fit mufflers in the space next to the fuel tank. Hopefully that will tone down the exhaust note. It's pretty rowdy right now. More later.

[mongocanfly]

Great news its finally coming together Vic..!!...its a true winner in my book

[sduckworth13]

Congratulations Vic! I second what Greg said!

[jlsanborn]

So glad you made the show, Vic! Where do you keep all that hardware?

Awesome ��

[Ol Blue K20]

Nice! Congratulations

[Russell Ashley]

That must have been a nice 55 sedan delivery if it won over your Wagon. Your 57 is an absolute beauty.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

Great news its finally coming together Vic..!!...its a true winner in my book

Thanks, Greg.

Originally Posted by sduckworth13

Congratulations Vic! I second what Greg said!

Thanks, Scott.

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

So glad you made the show, Vic! Where do you keep all that hardware? Awesome ��

Kathy makes me keep all the dust catchers in the basement, John.

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Nice! Congratulations

Thanks, Dale.

Originally Posted by Russell Ashley

That must have been a nice 55 sedan delivery if it won over your Wagon. Your 57 is an absolute beauty.

It was pretty nice, Russell, but I've found over the years that car shows can be pretty subjective. The 55 SD had a custom paint job on it so that may have influenced the judges. Regardless, we had a great outing and caught up with some folks we hadn't seen in quite a while. It's the people you meet (both in person and on the forums) that make this hobby so much fun.

I'm working on the fuel issue. Took the carbs off yesterday and reset the float levels and jetting as they came from FST. I also went to the auto parts store and picked up an in-tank fuel pump that was used with the old TBI setups. It's rated at 35 GPH and 17 psi which is a long way from the pump that's in there which is 90 GPH and 90 psi. The new one is capable of supporting up to 420 HP which is less than the engine will produce, but it should be fine for short WOT blasts. The main thing it should do is stabilize the fuel pressure under light throttle. With the EFI pump, the regulator was having to bypass so much fuel, the return wasn't keeping up and the pressure would creep up to the point it would overwhelm the ability of the float to close the needle and seat. As a crutch, HRE set the float levels very low which messed with the fuel metering. I'm hoping this will be the fix as I really don't want to go to an external pump and regulator designed for carbs.

[jhrusk]

Not sure if this pump would keep up with your engine but I used an in tank lift pump like a mid 80’s Ford ranger would have. When I went from fuel injection to an edelbrock carb. I didn’t even have to use a regulator. I don’t run my truck hard just cruising but it has worked great so far.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by jhrusk

Not sure if this pump would keep up with your engine but I used an in tank lift pump like a mid 80’s Ford ranger would have. When I went from fuel injection to an edelbrock carb. I didn’t even have to use a regulator. I don’t run my truck hard just cruising but it has worked great so far.

After adjusting the fuel pressures and float levels, I went for a spin out on the highway after lunch. Made one hard pull at WOT and it never surged or hesitated. Idles around the neighborhood really well too. The AFR's ranged from 12.5 at idle to 14.2 under load. I could probably lean the idle circuit very slightly but overall, it's very close to where it needs to be. Next up is a longer trip to check fuel mileage. I suspect it's not going to be very awe inspiring, but what can you expect from a heavy car with a street/strip cam and dual quads?