The Engine Compartment Restoration: 2002 - 2003
When I bought my car, the weakest part was the engine compartment. Although she looked very nice on the exterior, the car suffered from leaking gaskets, improper painting and other miscellaneous goof-ups and short-cuts (truthfully, it looked fine to most people but not car people). Well, that's all I needed for an excuse so off I started. But before you read on, I want to make the following statement: Many thanks are owed to my Corvette dads: Jon (aka Papa Jon) & RT; without their help and encouragement, this work would not have been completed in time for the Corvette's 50th Anniversary events in Kentucky & Tennessee.
Below are my "diary" entries. So it started with...
September/October 2002: Removed the radiator (again) since a new leak developed (I suspect a cracked weld seam). Also removed the rusted radiator support and noticed the front lower cross member also needs to be replaced. Apparently, an amateur patch was done - with spray paint and filler - not nearly good enough! Case of the "Might As Wells" : replace power steering, water pump, repaint block & clean, clean, clean! Pics coming soon!
Above: Rusty culprits! The radiator support and front crossmember. Yes, that's lots of rust you see...Corvettes do rust!
March 2003: The engine compartment is still apart. I am degreasing the block, stripping & removing paint & prepping for a new paint job for the engine. I learned to remove the carb via phone cell phone link with Papa Jon (the man has a photographic memory, recounting every detail of the engine. I learned to remove the carb in a 30 minute phone call - most of that time was spent talking about other stuff!). Thanks Pops!
Above: The block is bare, degreased & scraped down ready for painting. Also note the radiator & support is removed.
Above: Overhead view: duct tape blocks the intake as I work inside the engine compartment.
April 1, 2003: Papa Jon felt sorry for me (with my recent leg surgery) so he offered to sand down the paint on the water knuckle which I had previously removed (that's the thingee where the upper radiator hose goes into from the engine block). He returned it today and it looks great - ready for me to paint. Thanks again Pops!
April 13, 2003: I spent time scraping old paint from the fender walls. The engine is getting ready for paint - now I'm getting the fender walls ready & should be able to paint within a week or so - just before the radiator, support, A/C condenser, fan shroud & fan go back in. I also got the seats out! Seats come out with a mere loosening of 4 bolts - sounds simple, right? Well it should have been, except that someone long ago replaced one of these 1/2 inch bolts with a cheap 7/16th - so that took me an extra 30 minutes but I kicked it's rear and out it came!
Above: Kinda dark, ain't it? That's because my headlight actuators were painted black (they should be a gold cadium finish). I will replace these with new ones shortly.
April 18, 2003: I packed up the radiator and sent it to Michigan for a new core & tank repair by an NCRS level restorer. I'll let you know if this works out in 2 weeks!
April 20, 2003 (Easter): While you were out playing with eggs, I was tackling (once again) the engine compartment. I am very happy to report that after wire brushing (by hand & drill) and a ton of sanding with medium grit sandpaper, I have finished prepping the fender walls. So what was next? Well, painting of course! I painted the fender walls semi-gloss black (as the NCRS judging manual for 1970-72 Corvette calls for). I brushed painted everything for fear of overspray if I had used the spraypaints. To avoid brush streaks, I brushed several layers of thin coats which seamed to work well. The many hours over the course of many days of sanding and prep-work made all the difference in the world - the paint adhered well and dried (to the touch) within minutes.
April 27, 2003: Today I finished sanding, scraping and whatever else I could do to clean up and PAINT the upper section of the A frames, the crossmember directly in front of the block (not to be confused with the front crossmember which will be replaced). I also paint some steering linkage. Sounds like an easy job, but this took a long time (I have been degreasing & cleaning these areas for weeks). The amount of road grim and grease is UNBELIEVABLE! I also began loosening the bolts of the front crossmember which will be replaced. Unfortunately, one snapped off (luckily, it broke clean & will not affect removal). However, I was not able to loosen all - I did about 5 of 10, 1 broke and 4 I feared may break so I continued to drown them in WD-40, for removal another day!
April 28 - May 1, 2003: Continued working on lower suspension areas: sanding/wire brushing down, cleaning of grime and old paint. Also removed front passenger wheel & sanded down the wheel well.
May 3-4, 2003: About 90% complete with painting the front inner wheel wells and lower suspension in the general area.
May 6-8, 2003: I treated some rusty vacuum line brackets on either side of the wheel wells with POR-15, a paint-like solution that stops rust and forms a protective barrier.
May 10, 2003: Revisited the engine block and continue to degrease the top half (which was minor since I had already started some time ago). The bottom half of the engine, under the pulleys and under the distributor, was horrific! I jacked up the car & got almost all the grease, oil, dirt and loose paint cleaned up. I figure another few hours are needed before I can start to paint the block.
May 11, 2003 Mother's Day: Revisited the engine block again...and continued to degrease the engine. The bottom half of the engine is a mess...still!
May 12, 2003: Got only 1.5 hours in today (at work late, again & rain) but I did sand down 80% of the firewall so I can get to painting it!
May 14, 2003: Put in a good few hours and have got the power brake booster & firewall sanded, cleaned & ready for paint. There's light at the end of the tunnel!
May 15, 2003: Began to paint the firewall - completed about half. Also began to sand the power steering pump. Another 3-5 hours will allow me to finish the firewall, power steering pump & the power brake booster. Afterwords, the block is all that remains to be painted!
May 16, 2003: Finished painting the firewall! I also started painting the power brake booster.
May 17, 2003: Power brake booster is done! Power steering pump & related brackets are done! Began to paint the engine block! First 2 coats of Chevy Orange was applied on the intake manifold and water pump- and it looks great!
May 18, 2003: After spending the day judging concourse and modified cars for my club's annual show (All American Corvette Club), I shot over to the Vette and continued painting the engine block. I applied another couple of coats to the engine but still need to do the lower portion. I was able to get to most of it, but there were I few areas that still needed degreasing (those little areas under the A/C compressor area).
May 19, 2003: Continued to degrease and paint those tough-to-reach areas on the sides and bottom half of the motor. I also straightened the ends of the double snorkels of my air cleaner and spray painted the bottom half. I'm getting closer to putting back the carb & air cleaner - wouldn't it be nice to get the car assembled again?
May 20, 2003: I completed painting the engine block (I think...I hope)! I also finished painting the air cleaner. I cleaned up the areas under the power steering pump (the control arms were covered in grime). Next up: paint some aluminum brackets and reassemble the carb & air cleaner. Also, the radiator will be shipped back from its repair shop by the end of this week.
May 21, 2003: OK, OK - now the engine is done...I forgot to mention I needed to complete the oil pan! Today, despite the rain and muggy atmosphere, I painted the oil pan, silver brackets alongside the block, and the wiper door actuator. I also made a list of parts I still need to order! I hope to reinstall the alternator, carb, air cleaner and valve covers this weekend.
May 23, 2003: No work done yesterday because I completely feel apart after work - too tired. Can you believe I took a 3 hour afternoon nap? Well I did manage to organize and order the following parts: transmission cooler lines, wiper blades, replacement bolts for the front crossmember & radiator support, GM belts, emissions/air cleaner/air conditioner compressor stickers, seat pivot screws, seatbelt retraction webbing (for the shoulder harness), "D" & "F" note horns, lugnuts and a pair of valve cover gaskets. I promise to work on it this weekend - Happy Memorial Day Weekend!
May 25, 2003: Degreased and sanded down the A/C compressor & related brackets. I also began (but did not finish) the steering rod assembly - tons of grease!
May 26, 2003: Painted the A/C compressor & related brackets. I also finished the steering rod assembly - got it back to it's original finish (non-painted according to the NCRS manual).
May 27, 2003: I restored the wiper door actuator by cleaning the surface with a wire brush attached to my drill. I also began to clean up the engine area as I am preparing to put it all back together.
May 29, 2003: I spray painted the valve covers, waterknuckle (above the thermostat) and the choke cover. Everything matches with the areas I recently painted. I also am beginning to put components back on the car. Also applied the first of the repro stickers onto the wiper door actuator.
May 31, 2003: May ends with a BANG! Thanks to Papa Jon who came over today, a tremendous amount of tedious work was accomplished. First of all, no matter what or how I write this, the work is not fully appreciated (unless you have done this yourself). We tapped a broken bolt on the radiator support and removed/replaced the rusted front crossmember. Sounds like a couple of hours, right? NOT! First, it took Jon a bit of time working the tap into the broken bolt stud. Eventually, he bore a hole through the shaft & tapped new threads. We also installed the new NOS radiator support which awaits the recored radiator. We left it loose so we would have enough play when installing the radiator, shroud and fan.
The next major project was to remove the front crossmember. Several weeks ago, I loosened the 10 bolts that hold it together and have been drowning them in WD-40. I managed to snap only one bolt (lucky considering the amount of rust!). Using my new breaker bar, Jon eased them all out without incident. The remaining broken bolt: luckily it had a big enough section sticking out so Jon was able to grip it with pressure pliers and work it out. This took some time & a lot of muscle - but it worked. Upon his advice we ran the tap through all holes to ensure easier installation. We installed the new crossmember I bought from Ecklers with some finesse.
Other things we did: reconnect the A/C condenser, remove old carb/intake gasket, remove old water knuckle gasket residue, review some rubber lines (mostly vacuum), and replace the ferrel in the oil pressure gauge line located just behind the distributor.
On a side note: Papa Jon has adopted me as his Corvette son, which means he teaches as much as possible about general mechanical and Vette stuff in particular. Being the anal-retentive person I am (yes, I know I am a stickler for doing it right), Pops and I have a similar work ethic - No cutting corners! It is such a relief to know we think alike, that's what makes these projects a lot of fun. Trust me, by night time, I was hurting from being up all day, under & over the car, getting dirt & rust blown in your face as debris hits you while under the car - but it was fun. Even as I ached at work the following day, I have no regrets. Chances are...if you have read this much already about the work done to my Vette, you are hard-core like Pops & I - that means you can appreciate this work.
June 2, 2003: I spray painted the alternator bracket and a pulley black, valve cover screw tabs & engine lift tab orange. I also cleaned the distributor shields/covers.
June 4, 2003: Guess what?! More rain! That means no work today but I did order: lower ignition covers (chrome), lower ignition heat shields, a variety of replacement bolts (many of them have rusty threads), wipers (hey, I might actually use them on the way to the 50th anniversary party in Kentucky - 10 days of no rain? not likely...), and new horns. Also, my left headlight actuator arrived today.
June 5, 2003: Got my radiator back today...finally! It's was out for a 10 day repair...since April! Papa Jon said he would be over next Wednesday to help me reinstall it!
June 6, 2003: I put the carb back on today, along with the metal tubes (fuel line, etc) that attaches to it, touched-up a couple of spots I missed when I painted the block, and added the gaskets/valve covers back to the block. It's beginning to look more like a complete car again!
June 7, 2003: I cleaned some of vacuum lines by removing old paint & grease. Please don't ever paint your vacuum lines!
June 9, 2003: Replaced some bolts holding the front crossmember. Primed & painted brackets that hold the chrome ignition shield box. Reattached the waterknuckle & gasket.
June 10, 2003: Bad day: should have just walked away before a trashed both of my arms and successfully completed nothing - what a waste of a beautiful day! At least Papa Jon came through by getting me A/C Delco cap/rotor and Borg points. Ecklers parts came in: all A/C Delco...horns made in France, wipers made by Anco. Needless to say, I was not happy with this after a crappy day. I'll try it again tomorrow, in the rain...again.
June 12, 2003: Much better day: I was able to put the radiator and the shroud (yes, I put the shroud in myself!). My other Corvette dad, RT, came over for a visit and assisted my in: reinstalling the fan studs, fan, belts, cap/rotor and PCV valve hoses. Finally, the engine compartment is coming back together. Maybe she'll be running next week...
June 15, 2003: Between more rain and work this weekend, I only got in today. So ala Mother's Day, I spent all of Father's Day in the garage. I retightend the radiator support, put the radiator hoses, transcooler lines and a bunch of other things of that nature. I also replaced the passenger side headlight actuator, which had been painted black and developed a small leak. While it was off, I needed to repaint that area black. It all went very smooth until I attempted to remove the driver's side. I was able to remove the 4 nuts that hold it in place but the center screw/rod that controls the vacuum didn't want to come off completely - I am hoping an overnight of WD-40 will persuade it.
I feel much better about my chances for the Bowling Green, KY trip now but it will be a lot of working this week!
June 16, 2003: Removed old left side headlight actuator - what a major pain-in-the-rear! This is supposed to be easy, but not the left one, it was hard to get out. It only took 1.5 hours remove the old one, clean the threads for the actuator rod and install the new one. At least it is done and Papa Jon will be coming over on Wednesday to help me put finishing touches and the hood back on. Filled the radiator up with coolant too!
June 17, 2003: Added a new choke, cleaned paint & grease off headlamp vacuum lines, replaced upper radiator to bracket bolts with factory-correct ones, replaced rubber grommets on valvecovers and painted the drivers seat frame (at work).
June 18, 2003: Before I tell you about this day in he garage, you need to know that this day sucked until 2:30 PM. I went to work and, within an hour, got a migraine headache - not the best way to start the day! So I came home, vomited and went to bed at 11:30 AM. Now that you have a good understanding of my state-of-mind, here's my day: woke up again at 2:30. Met Papa Jon at 3:15. From this point on, the day got much better. All loose ends got resolved (that means whatever I couldn't put back on...or forgot how to put back in on), added new points, reconnected the alternator, added new alternator belt, reattached the hood and...STARTED THE CAR! Yes, she started on the 2nd crank - not bad after 9 months layoff. Thanks Pops!
June 19, 2003: Did an oil change and added a A/C Delco PF-35 oil filter (which holds and extra 1/2 quart of oil). However, the headlight doors and wiper doors do not open. I suspect a loose vacuum line around the vacuum canister just below the driver's side fender.
June 20, 2003: With help from Papa Jon via phone, the no headlights/wiper door cover problem was fixed. Turns out I reconnected a vacuum line backwords...and it was already on wrong since I bought the car! Oh well, no I know a lot more about vacuum systems in Corvettes.
June 23, 2003: Test drive to work is a success - Bowling Green, here I come!
June 24, 2003: Well, less than an hour into the trip, I realized I lost the nut that holds the large alternator bolt in place. The bolt managed to work itself out about 3/4 of the way. I departed from the caravan and found a local body shop. I rummaged through a 5 gallon bucket of rusty bolts, screws, nuts and miscellaneous hardware until I found a suitable nut replacement. I was back in business with only a 40 minute delay...yes, I was able to catch up (Corvettes are fast, in case you forgot!).
June 24 - July 2, 2003: I regularly...I should say...I constantly checked everything at every stop: tightening bolts, nuts hose clamps, belts and anything else I could put my tools on. I monitored & topped of fluids and sucked gas at the rate of 13 MPG (pretty good I thought).
July 2, 2003: Got back home! The trip was a blast. Lots of memories & pics, click here for the details: Bowling Green or Bust.
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