Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Bob Heine's Auto Emporium
- Thread starter Bob Heine
- Start date
Workspaces between 485 and 705 squarefeet.
Bob, what is the goal of the hot water heater pan? To keep a flood out of the rest of your house in case you haven't been in the garage for a few days? Squishy carpet in the garage alerted you this time. And I'm guessing your house is all one one level slab (Florida.)
Going to add a water alarm to that drip pan? That reminds me, should get one, too. (Sewer line, tree roots, floor drain, minor pond, ugh.)
Going to add a water alarm to that drip pan? That reminds me, should get one, too. (Sewer line, tree roots, floor drain, minor pond, ugh.)
Bob, is squashgetti what other people call spaghetti squash? In our household it gets cut in half, baked (er, I'm not sure on the order of those two) and then fluffed up with a fork and spaghetti sauce added. It's a whole lot better than I ever expected it to be. Heck, I pretty much like it!
ronjon1190
Well-known member
At least your new water heater will cost you an average of $136 less per year to run!
Chrisb62
Well-known member
Yes... from November to March, or if like my wife it must burn and scald always.
Pat, I am constantly in hot water and sometimes don't even know it. I might be like that frog who doesn't know he (or is it his goose?) is cooked.Happy to hear you are in hot water again.
@Squankum, the $10.98 pan is the cost of avoiding a long explanation to the question SWMBO asked: "Isn't there supposed to be a pan under that water heater?" She asked because there was a pan under the one in our previous home. The water heater in that one was on the same slab level as the house but above the garage floor. In this house the water heater is on the garage floor, which is five inches below the living quarters slab. There is no need for the pan and its drain is not connected to anything so it immediately dumps the second and subsequent quarts of water on the garage floor, much of which is carpeted.
I have quite a few alarms in the house and they do nothing but confuse me. Two of the smoke alarms are hard wired but have batteries so they don't beep for years and years. The refrigerator has alarms for doors left open, water filters needing replacement and apparently for testing one's patience. I have spent a lot of time in recent years wondering "What's that noise?" Paying good money to add another quiz isn't in my future. My newer cars do it as well. Because the PT Cruiser only beeps for doors ajar, lights on and seatbelts I don't freak out as much. The Cadillac, on the other hand, seem to beep for thousands of things. I keep my smart phone in a cradle so the vibrate signals are too quiet to bother me.
I have used spaghetti squash several times but Liane isn't fond of it (for no actual reason). She watches what she eats while continuing to smokeBob, is squashgetti what other people call spaghetti squash? In our household it gets cut in half, baked (er, I'm not sure on the order of those two) and then fluffed up with a fork and spaghetti sauce added. It's a whole lot better than I ever expected it to be. Heck, I pretty much like it!
and asked me to chop up some plain yellow squash instead of making pasta. The skinny strips of squash was my attempt to make the squash spaghetti-ish. I would be happy to have real spaghetti squash in the refrigerator but it would become forensic evidence before we ever used it.@ronjon1190, I can't understand how they improved the efficiency but didn't change the model number. I did notice some white plastic (PVC?) lining the galvanized pipes on the heater. It could be they changed the rating formula in the past six years, kinda like how horsepower ratings changed in 1972 from gross to net.
@Mr.zippy, not really but I like to use hotter than ambient water to rinse greasy pots & pans (more importantly, greasy car parts). Mrs. Heine is also more cold-blooded than most and requires sweaters over her sweatshirts when we visit doctors or shop in grocery stores. I often feel faint when I see her gardening with winter clothing on when it's 93°F in the shade. That does not mean she never asks: "Is it hot in here?"
Chris, I was not aware you were married to a member of my wife's coven!Yes... from November to March, or if like my wife it must burn and scald always.
madison069
Well-known member
As weird as it is, no matter how hot it gets outside i have to have a hot shower or else I just don't feel clean. I can do cold showers but I just feel like i'm not removing some kind of film on my skin that's probably all in my head.
Also I feel ya on the pan deal, I like to put the pans under the washers due to protentional oil drips and general mess from soap and ****. But at the rental I did want to hook the pan to the sump basin so if the washer did leak, it would drain there instead of all over the new floor. But Home depot only had low profile pans so it has to be hooked from the bottom. I wasn't able to build a platform for it so I just didn't hook the overflow drain. I'll be damn if the washer failed and pumped water all over the new floor and living room carpet last night. So after cleaning and drying the floor, I'm crossing my finger that the extra cost for true vinyl planks that's supposed to be waterproof pays off and the new floor doesn't warp. I'm also now on a mission to find a high profile washer pan so I can connect the overflow to the side and have the pipe go into the sump basin.
Also I feel ya on the pan deal, I like to put the pans under the washers due to protentional oil drips and general mess from soap and ****. But at the rental I did want to hook the pan to the sump basin so if the washer did leak, it would drain there instead of all over the new floor. But Home depot only had low profile pans so it has to be hooked from the bottom. I wasn't able to build a platform for it so I just didn't hook the overflow drain. I'll be damn if the washer failed and pumped water all over the new floor and living room carpet last night. So after cleaning and drying the floor, I'm crossing my finger that the extra cost for true vinyl planks that's supposed to be waterproof pays off and the new floor doesn't warp. I'm also now on a mission to find a high profile washer pan so I can connect the overflow to the side and have the pipe go into the sump basin.
shortykorte
Well-known member
Oh, yeah, can’t have those famous south Florida **** scenes without some steam. You see how fast Bob replaced it.
Cody, I don't think it's weird at all. I prefer the heat on my aching body when I take a shower. That being said, the city water coming out of the cold tap is 82°F this time of year. In the coldest winter days it might drop into the 70°s.
I did suggest installing a dry well in the garage so the every 6-year flood would have a place to go. When that was voted down, I suggested a 1.25" hole in the concrete with a PVC pipe and elbow but that triggered the "You always do that!" response. It is possible I exaggerate consequences on occasion but "always" is a little harsh.
Shorty, with 19.1% of the Florida population being over 65, the steam is essential. Nobody wants to see their grandmother in a thong.Oh, yeah, can’t have those famous south Florida **** scenes without some steam. You see how fast Bob replaced it.
Finallygotit
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Florida folks must be pretty sophisticated...........In our neck of the woods, (we just got electricity 3-4 years ago, roads 2 years ago), we just drill a hole in the side of the bathtub, and thread in a deep fat fryer element....presto, hot water. Does make for some interesting burn marks if you stretch out though.......
Dan, I sincerely apologize -- Shorty made me do it. When we were living down under in the Sydney seaside suburb of Manly, a fair number of women went ******* on the beach. It was all wonderful and exciting until one a senior couple stood up and the man in the Speedo gave his ******* wife a peck on the cheek -- you cannot UNSEE that.I can not get that visual out of my head.Damn you Bob!
@Mr.zippy, a good part of Florida would be jealous of your fancy pants bathtub.
xtremek
Well-known member
I came in to see the latest updates and read the steam comment. Lord help me, why did I have to read that. lol
Hopefully the water heater is done, maybe for more than 6 years 5 months. I sweated the new union on the pressure relief valve line, preserving the pristine finish on the water heater with a little soldering flame protector.
After breaking open the hot side union and giving the mating surface a light coat of pipe joint compound with PTFE, it sealed up perfectly. I left it open for a couple of days to be sure it stayed sealed up and installed the foam pipe insulation.
Then it was back to the fuel injection system on the '87 Corvette. It appears I have made no progress but most of it doesn't show. I torqued all the intake runner to manifold bolts, repaired all the vacuum line connections, reconnected a bunch of wires and stabbed the distributor back in its hole. I patted myself on the back for remembering to remove all the paper towels and vacuuming up all the places I may have missed earlier in the process.
After breaking open the hot side union and giving the mating surface a light coat of pipe joint compound with PTFE, it sealed up perfectly. I left it open for a couple of days to be sure it stayed sealed up and installed the foam pipe insulation.
Then it was back to the fuel injection system on the '87 Corvette. It appears I have made no progress but most of it doesn't show. I torqued all the intake runner to manifold bolts, repaired all the vacuum line connections, reconnected a bunch of wires and stabbed the distributor back in its hole. I patted myself on the back for remembering to remove all the paper towels and vacuuming up all the places I may have missed earlier in the process.
OutlawDrifter
Well-known member
Bob, you're making me feel a bit lazy today!
driftpin
Well-known member
Bob, our son and I were on a parts-hunting buying spree, and the seller had this car in his trailer. It's something like your car, not sure of the year. He has it 'modified,' you probably know more about the size increase on the supercharger from looking at it. He said it went 1,000 hp on the dyno his last session.
He said, "it's a Kong supercharger," which I assume is the "King" of superchargers.
We were there to pick-up a new Chevy crate long block, a Vortec Gen. IV 6 litre LY-6 w/VVT for our project. Motortrend says that a simple cam swap will result in 445 crankshaft horsepower. He used his Bobcat to load the pallet into our truck and I used a cherrypicker to off-load it.
About the project, here's a 40 year old spare tire that I found easier to break the bead and then use a recip saw to cut the bead, and the tire. I was watching one of the tv shows about cars, and I think it was the short guy from The Misfit Garage who told me something I didn't know. The Tri-Five Chevy's for the final year, had a unique method of retention for hubcaps. Instead of hubcaps fastening to the shape of the outer bead inside of the rim, the '57 Chevys used the smaller concentric stamped/forged(?) surface with three 120-degree spaced small raised dimples (clearly-shown in the pic, at 11, 3 and 7 o'clock) to retain the hubcap. We have five OEM GM Kelsey-Hayes 1957 Chevy steel wheels 14" X 5" and four new radial-ply tires, which have never been under-power, they were on the car to allow us to remove it from its place of hibernation, about 33 miles south of your home. They're now for sale (wheels/tires).
The car, where it sat for the last 34 years.
The bias-ply whitewall tires still held air well-enough to move the car out of the garage, where it got four new tires so we didn't have to continually air-up the tires every time we moved it.
This is the rear end of the car, after work commenced, and the chassis was ready to be removed. .
He said, "it's a Kong supercharger," which I assume is the "King" of superchargers.
We were there to pick-up a new Chevy crate long block, a Vortec Gen. IV 6 litre LY-6 w/VVT for our project. Motortrend says that a simple cam swap will result in 445 crankshaft horsepower. He used his Bobcat to load the pallet into our truck and I used a cherrypicker to off-load it.
About the project, here's a 40 year old spare tire that I found easier to break the bead and then use a recip saw to cut the bead, and the tire. I was watching one of the tv shows about cars, and I think it was the short guy from The Misfit Garage who told me something I didn't know. The Tri-Five Chevy's for the final year, had a unique method of retention for hubcaps. Instead of hubcaps fastening to the shape of the outer bead inside of the rim, the '57 Chevys used the smaller concentric stamped/forged(?) surface with three 120-degree spaced small raised dimples (clearly-shown in the pic, at 11, 3 and 7 o'clock) to retain the hubcap. We have five OEM GM Kelsey-Hayes 1957 Chevy steel wheels 14" X 5" and four new radial-ply tires, which have never been under-power, they were on the car to allow us to remove it from its place of hibernation, about 33 miles south of your home. They're now for sale (wheels/tires).
The car, where it sat for the last 34 years.
The bias-ply whitewall tires still held air well-enough to move the car out of the garage, where it got four new tires so we didn't have to continually air-up the tires every time we moved it.
This is the rear end of the car, after work commenced, and the chassis was ready to be removed. .
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OutlawDrifter
Well-known member
@driftpin, I had a 2500HD with the VVT LY6, great engine once the GM nannies we're tuned out.
It's worth far more than 445 crank HP with a cam swap. Should easily hit 500+ at the crank and around 400rwhp+ depending on other drivetrain components. Something with a 230/232ish cam on a 112 should give you a nice fat torque curve.
It's worth far more than 445 crank HP with a cam swap. Should easily hit 500+ at the crank and around 400rwhp+ depending on other drivetrain components. Something with a 230/232ish cam on a 112 should give you a nice fat torque curve.
driftpin
Well-known member
Thanks for the info. I saw this in a Motor Trend article. The LQ9 cam will give a LY-6 443 HP. An easy upgrade from that is a TFS cam which can get you over 500 HP.
"A TrackMax grind from Trick Flow Specialties (part No. 30602003). This TrackMax cam offers a .585-/.585-inch lift split, a 228-/230-degree duration split, and 112-degree LSA. (lobe separation angle)" That's very-close to your suggestion.
From the article: "The dyno soon put our fears to rest, as the cam swap on the LY6 netted impressive gains. The peak power output was 514 hp at 5,900 rpm, while peak torque was up to 493 lb-ft of torque at 4,600 rpm. (For those keeping score, that's more HP and torque than a stock LS7, yet a full liter smaller.) The best part is that this is not a 'high HP but sacrificing bottom-end and midrange cam-swap.'
www.motortrend.com
"A TrackMax grind from Trick Flow Specialties (part No. 30602003). This TrackMax cam offers a .585-/.585-inch lift split, a 228-/230-degree duration split, and 112-degree LSA. (lobe separation angle)" That's very-close to your suggestion.
From the article: "The dyno soon put our fears to rest, as the cam swap on the LY6 netted impressive gains. The peak power output was 514 hp at 5,900 rpm, while peak torque was up to 493 lb-ft of torque at 4,600 rpm. (For those keeping score, that's more HP and torque than a stock LS7, yet a full liter smaller.) The best part is that this is not a 'high HP but sacrificing bottom-end and midrange cam-swap.'
Get 514hp from your truck’s 6.0L V-8 on 87-octane gas
Adding over 70 horsepower to your truck’s LS.
shortykorte
Well-known member
You live in the Florida panhandle specifically the big bend?
Here's an unfinished project of mine, painting a stock steel wheel for a 2003 Ford Econoline. Same kind of dimples! I don't know if people call the hub caps on these "dog dish" or "pie pan", but either term would work. The concept, however, does not. We only have one wheel with a cover left, and I've bought some new used covers over the past ten years. Maybe it's my fault and I was bopping them too hard with the rubber boppity hammer, I now know they just need to be gently stretched over the nubbin a little.
Oh, and congrats on your find! I always like to see a bit of history preserved.
shortykorte
Well-known member
Bob, nice copper work. You give classes?
Marc, that's how you're supposed to feel when you're on "vacation," although helping out on a farm wouldn't normally fit that description. It is how I spent several summers in my childhood and I thought it was the best "vacation" ever. Feeding and milking cows, slopping pigs and cutting hay were fun and games on nice days in the Vermont summers, probably not so much in the winter.
Philip, replacing the stock supercharger in my Cadillac would be a tough sell. At $8,888.99 for the supercharger plus a few yards of braided stainless lines and fittings ($1,000?) I end up with almost double the power with few places to use it. Might be fun to turn off the traction control and fry a couple of $400 tires but to really hook it up I'd need a $1,200 pair of slicks.Bob, our son and I were on a parts-hunting buying spree, and the seller had this car in his trailer. It's something like your car, not sure of the year. He has it 'modified,' you probably know more about the size increase on the supercharger from looking at it. He said it went 1,000 hp on the dyno his last session.
He said, "it's a Kong supercharger," which I assume is the "King" of superchargers.
We were there to pick-up a new Chevy crate long block, a Vortec Gen. IV 6 litre LY-6 w/VVT for our project. Motortrend says that a simple cam swap will result in 445 crankshaft horsepower. He used his Bobcat to load the pallet into our truck and I used a cherrypicker to off-load it.
About the project, here's a 40 year old spare tire that I found easier to break the bead and then use a recip saw to cut the bead, and the tire. I was watching one of the tv shows about cars, and I think it was the short guy from The Misfit Garage who told me something I didn't know. The Tri-Five Chevy's for the final year, had a unique method of retention for hubcaps. Instead of hubcaps fastening to the shape of the outer bead inside of the rim, the '57 Chevys used the smaller concentric stamped/forged(?) surface with three 120-degree spaced small raised dimples (clearly-shown in the pic, at 11, 3 and 7 o'clock) to retain the hubcap. We have five OEM GM Kelsey-Hayes 1957 Chevy steel wheels 14" X 5" and four new radial-ply tires, which have never been under-power, they were on the car to allow us to remove it from its place of hibernation, about 33 miles south of your home. They're now for sale (wheels/tires).
The car, where it sat for the last 34 years.
The bias-ply whitewall tires still held air well-enough to move the car out of the garage, where it got four new tires so we didn't have to continually air-up the tires every time we moved it.
This is the rear end of the car, after work commenced, and the chassis was ready to be removed. .
That's a great engine but you need an engine management computer with Variable Valve Timing controls in it. They sell kits to delete VVT for around $150. Then you have the ability to install any aftermarket cam you want.
How to Delete Chevrolet Variable Valve Timing (VVT)
Want a cheap version of the LS3? We show you how to swap in a LY6 and eliminated the VVT.
I had a '56 Chevy, which came with 15" wheels and was jealous of the 14" rims. Someone stole the nearly new front tires on my car so I bought a used pair of 14's and thought I was cool with big-n-little tires like a real hot rod.
Good luck with the Nomad. I lusted after one back in the '60s but they were out of my price range even then.
Marc, it bothers me the LS engines put out so much power. With its supercharger, the 6.2 liter (376 ci) LSA in our Cadillac is docile and rated at 556hp @ 6,100 RPM and 55lb ft @ 3,800 RPM. The '72 Corvette has a Normally Aspirated 7.5 liter (454 ci) and is also docile but with 270 hp @ 4,000 RPM and 390 lb-ft @ 3,200 RPM. Even the little 5.7 liter (350 ci) engine in the '87 Corvette comes close with 240 HP @ 4,000 RPM and 345 lb-ft @ 3,200 rpm (I'm hoping intake & exhaust upgrades have improved on that).
Philip, not to diminish the power a LY6 is capable of, in an apples to apples comparison, in stock form it is rated at 364hp and 383 ft./lbs and weighs in at 560 pounds fully dressed. The LS7, in stock form is rated at 505 hp and 481 ft./lbs. while weighing only 454 pounds. I think the LS7 wins the cool factor comparison with aluminum block, titanium valves and rods and forged crank. As my big block Corvette proves, bigger isn't always better.Thanks for the info. I saw this in a Motor Trend article. The LQ9 cam will give a LY-6 443 HP. An easy upgrade from that is a TFS cam which can get you over 500 HP.
"A TrackMax grind from Trick Flow Specialties (part No. 30602003). This TrackMax cam offers a .585-/.585-inch lift split, a 228-/230-degree duration split, and 112-degree LSA. (lobe separation angle)" That's very-close to your suggestion.
From the article: "The dyno soon put our fears to rest, as the cam swap on the LY6 netted impressive gains. The peak power output was 514 hp at 5,900 rpm, while peak torque was up to 493 lb-ft of torque at 4,600 rpm. (For those keeping score, that's more HP and torque than a stock LS7, yet a full liter smaller.) The best part is that this is not a 'high HP but sacrificing bottom-end and midrange cam-swap.'
Get 514hp from your truck’s 6.0L V-8 on 87-octane gas
Adding over 70 horsepower to your truck’s LS.
Shorty, I think an outhouse in Florida is almost always more comfortable in winter than one in Wyoming. Having one's tongue stick to a piece of freezing metal is bad but having one's ****....You live in the Florida panhandle specifically the big bend?
@Squankum, is the masking tape in preparation for painting the back side of the wheel?Here's an unfinished project of mine, painting a stock steel wheel for a 2003 Ford Econoline. Same kind of dimples! I don't know if people call the hub caps on these "dog dish" or "pie pan", but either term would work. The concept, however, does not. We only have one wheel with a cover left, and I've bought some new used covers over the past ten years. Maybe it's my fault and I was bopping them too hard with the rubber boppity hammer, I now know they just need to be gently stretched over the nubbin a little.
Oh, and congrats on your find! I always like to see a bit of history preserved.
I've always hated hubcaps for that reason -- I've deformed them with the heel of my hand, which explains some of the senior citizen pain in my hand as well.
Shorty, thank you. My teacher was an old-school plumber who did sweated joints with no dribbles or dropped solder. The area under my garage vise looks like someone puked silver. Of course he had the benefit of lead in everything. Pretty sure the acceptable levels of lead in frosted flakes back then could have sealed up a copper joint just fine.
OutlawDrifter
Well-known member
Bob, even my 1999 model 454 has less power with its factory fuel injection and roller cam 290hp/410ft-lbs!
The 6.0L LQ9 based engine in my Z28 puts 423hp to the WHEELS, and is a handfull when you wood the pedal. Its very hard on tires through the first two gears and will leave a 10' patch of rubber on both sides if you powershift 4th gear.
Yes, I was painting the interior of the wheel a gloss industrial gray. The gray in the pic above is primer.
driftpin
Well-known member
I am too-lazy to look it up, but the US Census used to have a question or two about your residential plumbing, specifically, "do you have 'outdoor plumbing' for your bathroom?"
South of you in Hallandale Beach, come Halloween, across the tracks from City Hall, was the US Postal Service Post Office for zip code 33009, and that night, an outhouse would appear there. Try as they might, the PD could never catch the 'Outhouse Gang.' The outhouse would be covered with all-sorts of barbs via signs affixed to the structure. Local politicians were the usual targets.
My favorite year's outhouse design was the 'Condo Crapper,' which was two stories, and the Mayor at the time was a favorite target of Neil Rogers, the talk show radio personality. The mayor, 'Sonny' had his outhouse seat on the first level.
The second story seat was directly-above. Neil Rogers loved that.
Marc, of all the vehicles I've looked at but didn't buy, the one I regret most is a '93 454SS pickup a neighbor was selling in 2008. It had 140,000 miles on it but rebuilt engine had 45,000 miles on it. Guy was asking $3,500 and had the original hood (he put a cowl hood on it). You have a hard time finding one for less than $20k today.Bob, even my 1999 model 454 has less power with its factory fuel injection and roller cam 290hp/410ft-lbs!
The 6.0L LQ9 based engine in my Z28 puts 423hp to the WHEELS, and is a handfull when you wood the pedal. Its very hard on tires through the first two gears and will leave a 10' patch of rubber on both sides if you powershift 4th gear.
@Squankum, painting rims was one of my least favorite jobs before I acquired a compressor and spray gun. With a spray can I invariably tilted the can enough to spray paint-free propellant on several sections.
Philip, the last home in our family to have an outhouse was the family's summer home in Holbrook, NY. My grandmother, great grandmother and uncle moved there after WWII and I think uncle Harvey added an indoor bathroom in the early '50s. Although I was only ive or six years old, I vividly remember putting bathrobe and slippers on at Thanksgiving to make the 30-foot walk to the privy and shivering like crazy on the walk back to the house. At the time the house also had a coal furnace with a huge floor outlet that had just enough heat coming out to warm me up.
Our kids learned all about outhouses when we went camping in upstate NY. On a visit to Clarence Fahnestock State Park our daughter lost a lot of hair after an outhouse encounter with a porcupine (attracted to the salty wood around the seat). A few years later we vacationed on Lake George island campsites during a couple of hurricanes and discovered how easy it was to get sick from flooded outhouses -- really glad we were all vaccinated against Polio.
I've been making progress on the Corvette but not without some mis-steps. Along with all the 1/8" vacuum lines, there is a 5/16" vacuum line that goes across the engine and connects to the throttle body.
While re-assembling the plenum and throttle body I managed to snap off one end of the plastic line. In pulling the line out to try to fix the break I snapped the line in a second spot. The line is no longer made and buying a used piece of 35-year-old plastic doesn't appeal to me. I found some NOS plastic vacuum line sets (the 1/8" ones) on eBay but $149 seems spendy. I'm not very good at bending lines but I figured $20 for 25 feet of 5/16" copper alloy brake line would give me a chance to practice. My first two attempts didn't work out but on the third try I managed to make a line that fits.
I expect this section of vacuum hose will outlast the rest of the system and as long as I don't put any stress on the plastic lines, the vacuum system is done and dusted.
Next up is the exhaust air supply line. The original line connected to the exhaust manifold with a flared end held in place with an oetiker clamp.
This connection was almost impossible to seal without a pair of Knipex oetiker clamp pliers. Mine are a few years older so it's embossed with SYSTEM OETIKER rather than FOR EAR CLAMPS.
I needed these pliers because they were the only ones I could find with side jaws and the location down in the side of the engine right next to the A/C evaporator housing made plain jaw nippers impossible to squeeze. The side jaws were the answer to my exhaust leak.
When I installed stainless headers the connection changed. The headers had a rectangular flange with two bolt holes. My first solution was to make blockoff plates for both ends of the pipe connection.
When the car started throwing codes I drilled a hole and welded the rectangular blockoff plate to the pipe in place of the flare. I have no problem getting the lockwasher and nut on the visible bolt but the one behind the tube is going to be a *****. I quit after a half hour.
While re-assembling the plenum and throttle body I managed to snap off one end of the plastic line. In pulling the line out to try to fix the break I snapped the line in a second spot. The line is no longer made and buying a used piece of 35-year-old plastic doesn't appeal to me. I found some NOS plastic vacuum line sets (the 1/8" ones) on eBay but $149 seems spendy. I'm not very good at bending lines but I figured $20 for 25 feet of 5/16" copper alloy brake line would give me a chance to practice. My first two attempts didn't work out but on the third try I managed to make a line that fits.
I expect this section of vacuum hose will outlast the rest of the system and as long as I don't put any stress on the plastic lines, the vacuum system is done and dusted.
Next up is the exhaust air supply line. The original line connected to the exhaust manifold with a flared end held in place with an oetiker clamp.
This connection was almost impossible to seal without a pair of Knipex oetiker clamp pliers. Mine are a few years older so it's embossed with SYSTEM OETIKER rather than FOR EAR CLAMPS.
I needed these pliers because they were the only ones I could find with side jaws and the location down in the side of the engine right next to the A/C evaporator housing made plain jaw nippers impossible to squeeze. The side jaws were the answer to my exhaust leak.
When I installed stainless headers the connection changed. The headers had a rectangular flange with two bolt holes. My first solution was to make blockoff plates for both ends of the pipe connection.
When the car started throwing codes I drilled a hole and welded the rectangular blockoff plate to the pipe in place of the flare. I have no problem getting the lockwasher and nut on the visible bolt but the one behind the tube is going to be a *****. I quit after a half hour.
Bob making good progress. I really like the copper line in place of the rubber. I will probably need to do that when the lines on my 95' finally give out.
I do have question though. Do you still have to have all the air stuff? Vehicles here in TX are exempt from Emissions after 25 years. My 95' is free in and in a couple more years my Camaro will be and I will be removing all the Evap codes from the computer as I am sick and tired of chasing nonsense. An open vent gas cap and it will be good to go.
Bret
I do have question though. Do you still have to have all the air stuff? Vehicles here in TX are exempt from Emissions after 25 years. My 95' is free in and in a couple more years my Camaro will be and I will be removing all the Evap codes from the computer as I am sick and tired of chasing nonsense. An open vent gas cap and it will be good to go.
Bret
Bret, I feel good about fabricating the new line. I buy pre-bent brake lines for safety so I figure a poorly executed vacuum line won't result in an accident.
Florida stopped doing auto inspections of any kind in 2000. However, this is Florida so tomorrow the legislature could pass a new law law that bans modified vehicles from its roads. I also haven't a clue how to modify the OBDI computer so it would work properly with the emission stuff removed. I know I could send the chip out but don't know who to trust.
OutlawDrifter
Well-known member
Bob, Ed Wright of fastchip.com used to be "THE MAN" when it came to tuning/burning TPI/TBI proms(chips). Last time I checked, he had officially retired, which is a bummer...a whole wealth of knowledge stopped there.
There is an add-on one can do called EBL:
http://dynamicefi.com/
It allows a more modern take at tuning, rather than burning a new chip with every change.
Egads, someday finding the guy for these things will involve squinting at the classifieds in Hemmings Motor News...
"Yes, we used to burn the programming into things, with a hand held torch and a sewing needle..."
OK, now I've seen your link. Pretty neat. Yay nerds!
shortykorte
Well-known member
Bob you’re having all the fun!
Marc, I have been working with computers my whole adult life and I missed the boat when they started putting them in cars. It means I do a lot of dumb stuff. Perfect example is the air conditioning in the Corvette. It stopped diverting air (defaults to floor vents only) so I took the air mix valve controller apart and soldered in new resistors and capacitors. When my electronic fix had no effect I jumped to the conclusion it was the Climate Control System but never pulled it out of the dash to rip it apart. Didn't occur to me to check the vacuum connection to the engine. Apparently I disconnected the vacuum line when I pulled the windshield wiper drive (to gain clearance for the new rocker covers).
The '87 Tuned Port Injection engines are decent torque producing engines so I'm pretty sure headers, a bigger throttle body and ported plenum are the best I can do. I did fork over $150 for a Hypertech chip so I once I've driven the car and determined it is running OK, I can swap the ECM. If it doesn't make it run better, I'll swap it out for the stock ECM.
Wiz02
Well-known member
Bob, if you need any miscellaneous fuel injection bits, PM me. I bought a 1987 z51 new in '87 and did a bunch of fuel injection mods. The vette is long gone, but I have the stock runners and hardware for sure and probably other items as well from my '87.Hopefully the water heater is done, maybe for more than 6 years 5 months. I sweated the new union on the pressure relief valve line, preserving the pristine finish on the water heater with a little soldering flame protector.
After breaking open the hot side union and giving the mating surface a light coat of pipe joint compound with PTFE, it sealed up perfectly. I left it open for a couple of days to be sure it stayed sealed up and installed the foam pipe insulation.
Then it was back to the fuel injection system on the '87 Corvette. It appears I have made no progress but most of it doesn't show. I torqued all the intake runner to manifold bolts, repaired all the vacuum line connections, reconnected a bunch of wires and stabbed the distributor back in its hole. I patted myself on the back for remembering to remove all the paper towels and vacuuming up all the places I may have missed earlier in the process.
@Squankum, I subscribed to Corvette Fever from its first issue through its merge with Vette magazine. I don't recall a lot of articles on EEPROM coding but I remember PC magazine articles -- just never bit the bullet, knowing my aixelsyd (sorry, dyslexia) would kick in sometime during the process.
Shorty, I'm having a blast and today was the icing on the cake.