57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'

[Ol Blue K20]

Shake down cruise, sounds like fun!

[nsb29]

If you are not getting the airflow through the radiator to cool the motor you’re probably not getting enough airflow through the condenser to cool your AC

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

Well, some good news anyway...
the VA issue is concerning..I was thinking of using them on a upcoming project
Did you do rear air ?

No rear air, Greg, and it's a very large interior space. I finally stopped at an auto parts store yesterday and bought a can of Sub-Zero refrigerant with a gauge. It showed slightly less than 30psi on the low side, so I bumped it up to 40. They don't recommend more than 50 so I have a little more I could add. It helped quite a bit so I may boost it up a few more psi. I think the o-ring in the low pressure fitting at the compressor is still not the right one. There was a tiny amount of oil there like it has a very slow leak. The refrigerant I bought says it seals leaks in o-rings, gaskets and hoses, so we'll see if it works as advertised.

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Shake down cruise, sounds like fun!

It's been like "whack-a-mole" Dale. The expensive Aeromotive regulator I installed doesn't seem to want to work very well when it gets hot. This evening as we were headed out to a restaurant, the car died as I pulled into the parking lot. I popped the hood and checked the fuel pressure and it was over 10psi when it should have been 6.5psi. I broke out the toolkit and reset it to 6.5 but I have no idea why it would be changing like that. I have one of those fancy schmancy gauges you can manually vent to get an accurate reading under different temperature conditions, so I know the pressure was what I was seeing. Also seem to be still having issues with the torque converter clutch solenoid. Also heat related. I did get to talk to a Painless rep at the show today and he gave me the name and number of a guru that may be able to give me some tips on programming. It would be great if the issue went away with a different calibration, but if the solenoid is acting up when the transmission gets up to operating temperature, a new cal file may not be what it needs. I see more revisions in my future.

Originally Posted by nsb29

If you are not getting the airflow through the radiator to cool the motor you’re probably not getting enough airflow through the condenser to cool your AC

That's very true. I did turn the fans on and put a paper towel up to the front of the condenser and it held it there with no problem. However as the whole system heats up, I'm sure the condenser becomes much less effective. I noticed at the show today, one of the vendors was selling a prepackaged core support / radiator / condenser. The condenser was much smaller than mine and only covered maybe 60% of the finned radiator surface. I need to stop by and pick their brains on just why they make it that way. As I mentioned earlier, adding refrigerant helped a lot. And if more is better, too much oughta be just right.

Here's a few photos from the show today. I haven't heard an official count, but I'd estimate close to 2000 cars if you count all the drag cars and show cars in the vendor areas. We had plenty of room to put up our canopy and boy did we ever need it. Heat index near 110 and only a gentle breeze. We left right after the 50/50 drawing at 4pm and made a mile for the air conditioned motel.

[mongocanfly]

Well that sounds a little better on the ac...I'm looking at another IH with similar interior sq footage to your wagon..when I started talking adding ac, they recommended running a rear unit as well..

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

Well that sounds a little better on the ac...I'm looking at another IH with similar interior sq footage to your wagon..when I started talking adding ac, they recommended running a rear unit as well..

I'm not sure how rear A/C would have worked for my application. But we've been getting by with the dash vents and the fan turned up to around 3/4. I went out to the car early this morning and added refrigerant. Increased the low side pressure from 40psi to 45psi so we'll see if that makes a difference. The good news is there seems to be no discernable leak so maybe the sealant did its job.

[mongocanfly]

Yeah, I'd rather not have to do a rear unit if possible.. I'm not one of those people that has to have it 50deg inside on a 100deg day..so maybe front vents will be plenty

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

Yeah, I'd rather not have to do a rear unit if possible.. I'm not one of those people that has to have it 50deg inside on a 100deg day..so maybe front vents will be plenty

I'm not either, Greg. In fact, I don't even like the vents blowing directly on my hands or face.

We got a half day in today. Arrived around 9:15 and by the time we parked, the car was literally on fire. The plug/wire that connects to the Dakota Digital temp sensor had apparently drooped down onto the last header tube and burst into flames. I knew something was wrong because the temp went from 225 to 305 in about two seconds. When the insulation burned off the wires, they shorted together and maxed out the gauge. As I popped the hood I could see a sooty little fire going at the back of the passenger cylinder head. Huffed and puffed a couple of times and it went out, but poured some bottled water on it just to be sure. Drive home will be without the DD temp gauge, but we'll connect the laptop to view the temperature from the other sensor. Luckily, that wasn't the one that burned or we'd be in a bit more of a fix.

To add to our woes, the torque converter clutch solenoid appears to be pretty much shot. TCM software is commanding the converter to lock, but once it gets above 200 degrees, it doesn't do so. This generates a lot of heat with the converter constantly slipping. On the ride back to the motel this afternoon, the trans temp hit 235 on some of the hills. I could tell the converter wasn't locked because the engine rpm was 2500 at 70 instead of 2000 like it should be. The fluid looks clean and doesn't smell burned. But I'm concerned about driving it 600 miles home. We'll just have to keep an eye on it and pull over to let it cool down if it gets crazy hot.

Shortly after noon, the skies opened up and it rained big time. They announced that the storm was getting worse and everyone needed to take down their canopies. When they said the rain wouldn't end until around 4pm, we loaded up and called it a wrap. Prior to that, during a break in the rain, we went up and took some pictures of the top 25. They did have some nice ones, I'll say that. I'll post some photos when we get home. Right now, I'm pretty wrung out.

[jlsanborn]

What an adventure! The shake-down is almost better than the build up. You're first submittal was a 9.9!!! As-built is going to be bulls-eye!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

What an adventure! The shake-down is almost better than the build up. You're first submittal was a 9.9!!! As-built is going to be bulls-eye!

Thanks, John! Sorting out the bugs is always interesting. Just takes a bit of patience plus it gives me something to look forward to.

Here are a few photos from the show. One is a photo shopped shot of our car arriving at the park.

[sduckworth13]

It looks like Kathy and you are having fun despite all the kinks! Your car looks awesome Vic! Have a safe trip!

[Ol Blue K20]

It sure does look good. A very nice stance. Looks like it was fun and the rain is making California jealous.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

It sure does look good. A very nice stance. Looks like it was fun and the rain is making California jealous.

Thanks, Dale - wish we could have sent the rain your way, I know you could use it! Hope you're not in harms way. Looks like the Cache and Caldor fires are a ways from you so hopefully nothing will spring up in your vicinity.

The stance may change somewhat. I'm researching springs as we speak. The Hyperco springs that came with the chassis are a bit soft for road use. The front rate is 575# and probably needs to be closer to 625 or 650# Don't know yet what I have in the back, but I'm sure I need to step up there as well. So after adjustment, the look should be about the same - maybe a tad higher depending on what I come up with.

What a day - what a day - what a day! I got the headers and pipes off, only to find the wires going to the coolant temp sensor on the driver side were burned and intermittently shorting together. We kept seeing the temp on the laptop jump around but I was blaming it on a possible poor ground for the MSD ignition controller. According to the gurus on the web, that's a common problem with those boxes and can cause all sorts of gremlins. But in my case, it appears to be yet another side effect of the heat from the SS headers. As you can see, they're now consigned to the dustbin of history.

After repairing the temp sensor wires, I test fit the stock manifolds. There's way lots more room now. I'll post photos when I'm finished. Right now I'm waiting for a product called Zycoat from Eastwood to apply that's supposed to help contain the heat.

I needed to change the oil as the engine now has about 2K miles on it. It was really nasty looking and smelled terrible. Went to auto parts and bought a high performance filter and full synthetic oil but when I got home, the filter didn't fit. Turns out the Mast Motorsports pan has a smaller, LS2 thread for the filter. So I had to return the one I just bought. The filter that came on the engine was an inexpensive AC-Delco version. Not sure why you'd put a $4 filter on an expensive engine. Of course, if I'd changed oil at 500 miles like I should have (before leaving on our trip) we wouldn't be having this conversation.

The 1" bore Wilwood master cylinder arrived today. I plan to swap it out for the 1.125" one in the car. The guys at Wilwood said I'd like it a lot better. The bigger bore is better suited to the HydraBoost setups. Even with good vacuum from the Leed pump, the 8" dual diaphragm booster is hard pressed to build the pressure in the lines you need for panic stops. And we had one of those on the trip which is what prompted the switch.

[Vic1947]

Still fixing things. Received the ZyBar coating and applied it to both exhaust manifolds. It was very runny but sprayed out fine. I'm unsure how effective it will be at reducing the heat. They claim a 90% reduction in radiated heat, but that might be for a thicker coat than I was able to get out of the 4 oz. can I bought. At $80, it was some pretty expensive snake oil. If it doesn't flake off under operating conditions, I'll consider it a win.

The exhaust system revision is progressing nicely. I reinstalled the H-pipe I'd removed long ago. I found that moving it back 3" let it clear the shifter cable and still have adequate spacing between it and the E-Stopp. I was short one 90 deg. tubing bend but it should be here today. Once it arrives, I'll be able to connect the manifold flanges. I'm hoping the combination of the cast iron manifolds and the H-pipe will reduce the noise level a bit. Not to mention lowering the underhood temps.

I also installed a Flex-A-Lite aux trans cooler. I didn't want it in front of the radiator which is probably where it would work best, so I located it under the splash pan. There's a factory opening in the pan right above it which should direct at least some air from the high pressure area across the fins. Once I get back on the road, I'll connect the laptop to see if it's working. Typically, the trans has been running about 15 degrees hotter than the radiator. If that narrows down a bit, I'll assume it's the cooler.

[jlsanborn]

That coating looks great! I'm about to sandblast the storage paint off my headers and had planned on VHT black. My confidence in durability isn't very high. I'll have to look into this stuff! Is it purpose made for cast?

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

That coating looks great! I'm about to sandblast the storage paint off my headers and had planned on VHT black. My confidence in durability isn't very high. I'll have to look into this stuff! Is it purpose made for cast?

No, it will go over headers as well, but they do recommend that you sandblast the surface before application. They offer three colors - cast, bronze and black. I think the cast looks more like aluminum though. The instructions for headers said to take a small patch of cloth and wrap a wire around it then dip it into the coating and use it to swab the inside of the tubes. Since I was dealing with much shorter lengths I didn't do that. Instead, I focused the spray pattern and shot it down inside the manifolds.

The expense is a factor. There probably comes a point where it's almost as cost effective to have the parts ceramic coated as it is to DIY. Of course, when you do it yourself, you have control over the timing and the quality of the prep, etc. If you send it out, that goes away and you're at the mercy of the business doing the work.

Time will tell if it's durable or not. The guys at Hot Rod Express said they go thru several heat/cool cycles before putting the headers in service. Run the engine until you see a small amount of smoke come off the headers/manifold and then shut it off and cool down completely. Doing that several times will help cure the coating. When I get everything buttoned back up next week, I'll post an update.

[Vic1947]

I'm completely exhausted or more accurately, the exhaust system overhaul is done. I moved the O2 sensor bung back 24" per the recommendation from Innovate so I hope that contributes to a longer lifespan for the sensor. And, as I may have mentioned earlier, I was able to relocate the H-pipe rearwards which allows it to clear everything comfortably.

With the exhaust revisions complete, I crossed off a few other items on the punch list. I affixed a standoff to the top edge of the trans cooler so it's solid now. I wasn't happy with the way the PCV system was operating so I moved the clean air side filter to the inside of the air cleaner and hooked the hose to both valve covers instead of just one. I also sealed up the catch can fittings better than they were originally. There was only a couple of teaspoons of oil in the reservoir after the trip, but I don't know if that was the result of an efficient engine or poor performance of the PCV setup. I'll know more in a couple of weeks after we take another trip.

I also adjusted the coil overs. I tightened up the springs an inch in the rear and a half inch up front. Also went one click firmer on the single adjustable shocks. As crappy as most of the roads are, it shouldn't take long to find out if the changes helped.

Tomorrow I'll be pulling the passenger front seat and the console to access the wiring. I need to run the new temp sensor wire to the Dakota Digital brain box. I also have to snip some zip ties to give the O2 sensor some slack. It won't reach the relocated bung as things sit now. Then I need to spend a couple of days cleaning up. The underside of the car got oiled down from trans fluid puking out the overflow on the trip to the TFN. I was concerned about that when we overfilled it while shaking the car down. I drained 8 quarts out of the trans but only put 6 back in. I'll watch the pressure gauge to see if I need to add more, but I'm betting it will be okay just a little over the full mark.

[jlsanborn]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

No, it will go over headers as well, but they do recommend that you sandblast the surface before application. They offer three colors - cast, bronze and black. I think the cast looks more like aluminum though. The instructions for headers said to take a small patch of cloth and wrap a wire around it then dip it into the coating and use it to swab the inside of the tubes. Since I was dealing with much shorter lengths I didn't do that. Instead, I focused the spray pattern and shot it down inside the manifolds.

The expense is a factor. There probably comes a point where it's almost as cost effective to have the parts ceramic coated as it is to DIY. Of course, when you do it yourself, you have control over the timing and the quality of the prep, etc. If you send it out, that goes away and you're at the mercy of the business doing the work.

Time will tell if it's durable or not. The guys at Hot Rod Express said they go thru several heat/cool cycles before putting the headers in service. Run the engine until you see a small amount of smoke come off the headers/manifold and then shut it off and cool down completely. Doing that several times will help cure the coating. When I get everything buttoned back up next week, I'll post an update.

The VHT application process is similar but I've never had the patience to do it! The headers on the Dirty Girl look ok on the top sides but exactly how you'd expect on the bottom. I want to do better than that on the C10. Thanks for the details! That process will be coming soon.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Glad to see she's back on her wheels!

You and me both, Chip. Spent all day yesterday cleaning bugs and road grime off the top and underneath. I may need to be a bit more careful about the weather forecast in the future.

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Looking good, I hope this cures most of the bugs.

Thanks, Dale. They're getting sorted slowly but surely. I went for a test drive this afternoon and let it sit and idle for a long time. Never got over 195. But then again, the outside temperature is 85 instead of 95 like we experienced on the trip. I need to make a longer run to build more heat into the engine to know for sure. I have a sneaking suspicion I still may be revising the puller fans over the winter.

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

Breather inside a breather.....pretty slick

Thanks, Greg. The instructions for the Moroso breather setups say to plumb the clean air side into the intake tube in front of the throttle blade, so the "old school" equivalent for me would be the location I picked. We'll see how well it works after I put a few hundred miles on it next week. If the breather stays dry and the catch can doesn't trap too much oil, I'll take that as a good sign.

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

The VHT application process is similar but I've never had the patience to do it! The headers on the Dirty Girl look ok on the top sides but exactly how you'd expect on the bottom. I want to do better than that on the C10. Thanks for the details! That process will be coming soon.

Glad to help, John. I followed the procedure suggested by the guys at HRE and let the engine warm up until I saw a little smoke coming off the manifolds and then shut it down and let it cool off. There was very little smoke but I repeated the process twice more and then went for a drive. Manifolds look the same as when I installed them. I'll know more after some road trips, but right now it would appear to be a good solution.

The exhaust note is radically different than before with the new manifolds and H-pipe. I can still hear the exhaust but it sounds like it's coming from the very back of the car instead of right under me. May actually be able to listen to some tunes going down the road.

The change in the spring height also made a difference. Ride is a bit more harsh, but it didn't seem to bottom out going over bumps. The true test will be crossing bridges at highway speed.

I still have a few items left on my punch list, but if the weather cooperates, we may hit a cruise in or two this weekend.

[Low Elco]

Glad to see she's back on her wheels!

[Ol Blue K20]

Looking good, I hope this cures most of the bugs.

[mongocanfly]

Breather inside a breather.....pretty slick

[Ol Blue K20]

Sounds like you may get through that punch list yet.

[Blue GMC]

Man I am truly impressed!!! Read the whole build in the last 2 days and it has got to be frustrating to bee so close when the gremlins started. Looking forward to seeing the final solution to the problems had the same issues with heat and ac on my truck and 10 years later still fighting the trans.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Sounds like you may get through that punch list yet.

Two steps forward, one step back, Dale. But I plan to succeed.

Originally Posted by Blue GMC

Man I am truly impressed!!! Read the whole build in the last 2 days and it has got to be frustrating to bee so close when the gremlins started. Looking forward to seeing the final solution to the problems had the same issues with heat and ac on my truck and 10 years later still fighting the trans.

Thanks! I've never had a build with so many things go kaput - particularly at the end when it should be just minor tweaking.

Case in point, after my test drive yesterday, I decided to change the adjustment on the shocks just slightly. When I reached under the driver side rear for the knob, I grabbed the tire and realized the backside was greasy/sticky. Upon further inspection, I could see the axle seal has been leaking. Not a huge amount, but more than enough to cause problems. The caliper, rotor, e-brake and the inside of the rim were coated with 90W rear end grease. A small amount had slung up into the wheel well, but it didn't appear to be dripping off of anything - yet.

So, the axle is out and a cursory look see didn't reveal any obvious defects. The axle assembly came preassembled with the chassis from Roadster Shop. I reckon I need to get a good light and my magnifier to see if I can find the cause of the leak and then come up with a plan to fix it.

[Low Elco]

Per the Bishop in Caddyshack- "RAT FARTS!"