Days 14-21, Lots of little projects…
So the credit card finally stopped smoking… I’ve been trying to lay off any new purchases, but it is tough. I’ve got to spend money to get finished, right? Had lots of maintenance projects to take care of. I finally got around to changing the fuel filter, changed the transmission fluid, and flushed the coolant, I even managed to get the brake system flushed. Been busy, I guess… Or just putting off the major project that has been looming for a little while now, repainting the exterior.
It has actually worked out well, I’ve wrapped up all the mechanical “dirty” jobs, now I can concentrate on the paint and interior.
I started the week off by just pulling the vette up on the race ramps and letting it cool off for the night. I took the opportunity to tidy up the garage and put all the tools away so when I finally got motivated to bathe in fuel and oil, I wouldn’t have to fumble around looking for tools and parts. I also tore into the interior trim and removed the targa top while I was waiting.
First order of business was to replace the fuel filter. I depressurized the fuel line so I would get sprayed in the face when I broke the lines loose. I had to pull off a small heat shield to gain better access to the filter and fittings. I got the first fitting loosened without a problem which meant I had fuel now slowly seeping out of the fitting as I tried to break the second fitting loose. Of course that would be the troublesome one, right? Never fails. I tried to break it loose, but the wrench would slip, or it would start to round off the nut… not a good thing, so I took a break, hit it with some PB Blaster, crawled out from under the car and had a refreshing beverage. Mmm, beer and gasoline, does it get much better than that? I thought about hitting the stubborn nut with some heat, but, not wanting to be a Darwin award winner, I figured that might be a bad idea. Probably would’ve gotten a lot of YouTube hits, but alas, I had no camera to capture the moment, so no corvette flambé. And that little train of thought was all before I had a drop to drink. I figured it was time for another go at it, so I made my way back under the car. The fitting finally broke loose, queue the fuel spill now, good thing I don’t smoke… I got the old filter out and started to put the replacement in and hit a snag with the “good” fitting, the one I didn’t have problems with originally. I started the threads on the previously stubborn fitting, then turned my attention to the second fitting. I could not get the threads started, all the while fuel is dripping down my arms and onto the floor. Good times. I finally got both fittings on and tightened down. I turn on the car to check for leaks, all’s well, job done.
The next night it was time to get dirty with the transmission fluid and filter change. And dirty I got. I’ve dropped the pans on enough transmissions to be able to do it relatively cleanly, but no chance with this one. I tried to gently lower the back of the pan so the fluid would drain nicely into the catch can, but wouldn’t you know, the fluid decided to spill out pretty much everywhere else BUT the rear of the pan. Good times ensued… Funny how a gallon of fluid slopping around a metal pan only weighs about 10lbs, but when you put that 10lbs right over your head as you are sprawled out under the car with your arms over your head to support it… it seems much heavier, probably has something to do with the care needed to keep what fluid is in the pan from ending up on the floor, or worse, on me. I finally got the pan out and dumped the rest of the fluid into the catch pan and headed inside to wash out the pan… I guess it was time for a new dish sponge anyway… So now that the pan is all cleaned out, time for reassembly. It all went back together much easier than it came out, new filter and all. Torqued down the bolts in steps from 50% of the total torque required, then ran around the pan twice more at full torque spec… don’t want a leak, and don’t want to have to crawl under here again to retorque bolts. I climbed out and added 3 quarts to the transmission and called it a day, well night… late night.
The next morning I leave for work and see the puddle of transmission fluid making its way to the garage door, looks like a crime scene where somebody had euthanized my Vette. I guess I didn’t realize how much fluid had skipped the pan. So I threw down a couple of towels to stop the puddle from reaching the door and headed off to work… There is something to be said for having a project car and it not being your daily driver, definitely relieves the stress of having to complete the repair by the next morning. To quote Ferris Bueller, “It is so choice. If you have the means and an understanding and supportive Wife, I highly recommend picking one up.” Well maybe more a paraphrase…
The next project for the week was the coolant flush and replacement of the flexible hoses. Some are in real rough shape, the others are probably okay, but while the system is drained down, time to swap them all out, relatively cheap insurance. I refilled the system with distilled water and fired up the car. I let it come up to temp and made sure the heater was pumping out good heat, then shut it down. Then I did something that I do not recommend anybody do, I pulled the petcock to drain the system again and flush out all the crap, but it was HOT, real hot, oops. Oh well, won’t do that again. I let the system drain down and then closed it up to refill it again while the thermostat was still opened. I topped it off again, but this time with a mix of antifreeze, distilled water and a bottle of water wetter. After I thought all the air was out of the system, I capped it and shut it down for the night. Job done.
Next day was strictly a clean up day, so I backed the vette off the ramps and let it idle while I spread some oil dry on the massive puddles of transmission fluid and coolant. After the car was up to temp, I checked the transmission fluid and added the remaining quart of fluid I had left over in the gallon jug and rechecked. It was still about a pint low, so I didn’t want to crack open the other full gallon of fluid, I’d rather grab a quart from the store. Sounds like a good excuse for a trip. I topped off the coolant overflow and headed down to the store. I topped off the transmission and headed out for the highway.
The drive went well, all the systems seem to be functioning properly, but I still can’t read the temp and oil pressure accurately due to the bad LCD in the dash. When I got back to the house, I placed the order for a replacement, I tried to fix the LCD by cleaning all the contacts, but to no avail, I need to replace the LCD. Not bad though, $100 from a seller on EBay and added the replacement bulbs to bring the total to $120.
The remainder of the week was consumed by rounding up the parts to build a paint booth and getting the windshield replaced. In preparation for the windshield replacement, I removed the trim pieces for paint and scraped the area around the windshield to remove any old sealant. Being a Saturday, I had the rest of the day to work on the car, so I started the paint prep by stripping the doors of trim and the mirrors. In between football games of course.
That brings us up to today, the Sunday before Labor day, not sure what I’ll do today, but I’ll let you all know…
Parts replaced this week:
Windshield - $180
Coolant, Hoses, Trans fluid and Filter - $80
Fuel Filter - $10
LCD replacement - $120
Brake Fluid - $15
Power Steering Fluid - $5
Rear View Mirror Overlay - $20
Parts cost so far: $1425
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