So many updates
The heat-wrap-shield went into the steering boot. It's a little fugly but it'll do
Built a new main ground. One wire from the alternator to the block, and another from the block to the negative battery terminal
Also painted the underside of the hood ...it was surface rust red in some places and over spray gold in others, but it was ugly all over. Much better now.
More to come
(Portrait images in this post are autoconverting to Landscape)
Spent a bunch of time reconnecting this and that... accessories went on without drama, except AC hardware will have to stay off, as the compressor mounts to the stock manifolds. With the headers, I'd need to do some pretty serious fab work to create a mount that would do the job. The system never worked - was totally dry when pulled, and the compressor is seized, so there's no use in making the effort outside of aesthetics.
I added a heat shield to the starter - the new solenoid I installed is pretty close to the header collector. It is probably unnecessary, but it makes me feel better
So, next was the exhaust. I didn't take any pictures because what I cobbled together to connect the new headers to the old exhaust was... unpleasant for the eyes. Just think of a Benny Hill skit with the video of me scootching around on a creeper under the car sped up with Yackety Sax playing in the background, with a few shots of me being chased around by my wife interspersed for comedic relief.
But, it did connect. That's important.
Then, after getting the last this-n-thats buttoned up, it was time to give it the first start. 5 quarts of Blueprint break in oil and apparently a little too much coolant went in, and I hit the key. Lots of unproductive cranking did ensue, followed by much beard scratching and brow furrowing...
In my haste, I apparently forgot to plug in the coil.
After recovering from such a blunder, she sprang immediately to life. You'll have to trust me, as I didn't upload anything to the YouTubes. But she sounded pretty good for a first start. The cam gives a very pleasant lopey-ness to the idle. But that concoction of prebends and band-clamps that was holding the exhaust together meant the exhaust sound was VERY leaky.
There was no fuel filter in the newly running setup, and the space to put one in was very tight. The fuel line already was unhappy with the amount of bend required to join the hardline to the pump. So I found a small size high flow filter and a molded set of if fuel line bends (kinda like exhaust prebends where you cut out the angles you need). The molded bends won't kink like straight rubber hose will. This setup works great with a few hose clamps, and was inexpensive on Amazon.
Take one Early Monte Carlo, remove an aging pumper, add in a healthy dose of crate engine, sprinkle in a few dozen random odds and ends that you didn't anticipate needing when you began this journey, and top it off with a refreshed hood, and you have a car that you are very happy with and never want to crawl beneath again.
So, then a logical person would say (in a Star Wars Natalie Portman memey kind of voice) "you left the car alone for a while, right?!?"
And in a Watchmen sort of way I would say "no"
I couldn't leave well enough alone.
I never liked the big bracket on top of the motor that holds tension in the alternator belt. So I swapped it with a tensioner/turnbuckle. From this:
To this
Which I liked so much I also ordered one for the power steering pump (not yet installed). Amazon also was my friend for this.
I also added new valve covers
The satin black with aluminum highlights mimics the wheels and has become the theme for the rest of whatever future updates come along.
Because this build includes a roller cam, Blueprint says there's no real break in period required except to run their break in oil for the 1st 2k miles. No need to keep it under X RPMs until Y miles, or hold it at a certain engine speed for a given period of time. It's basically already "broken in" when they prepped it for the engine dyno.
After I'd taken her out a few times for short trips here and there, and the initial thrill had worn off, I began to get critical. I came to realize there's some idle bugs to work out and Id thought at one point she had a vacuum leak somewhere because she would diesel on shut down.
Initially I'd thought the hardline for the trans modulator has gotten cracked - it was very (too) flexy when I was reinstalling the vacuum lines, and Id been worried that it had been flexed one too many times now. I cut away a bit of the hardline to eliminate the offending bend, and added more soft hose to connect it to the carb. I also replaced much of the remaining vacuum lines for good measure. None of this had a notable effect on the dieseling.
Turns out, I think the dieseling was due to having to adjust the idle up via the throttle stop to make her behave out in these streets. I think the true source of the issue is the torque converter however. Bear with me and my newb logic:
Because I havent increased the stall from the stock 1500ish RPMs, and she makes roughly 150% more torque, the TC never really lets go. Because it was never letting go, the RPMs were dragged down by the trans, and the engine would stall. I turned up the idle because she sounded like she was stalling from too low an idle. She was indeed stalling for that reason...but not because the throttle was closing too far as I'd first thought, it was because of the TC gripping all the time dragging down engine speed.
So my "fix" I now believe ultimately is the dieseling culprit. Because the idle was effectively too high, it would diesel on shutdown.
For now, I've tuned the idle back down, and am shutting her off in gear, and then shifting to park. A new-to-me, rebuilt GM stock TC, with the internals required for a 2400ish stall should be ready in about a week or so.
Last update for now, and bringing us to current is new exhaust.
I opted for 2 1/2" stainless with an X-pipe and Flowmaster 40 series mufflers, with stainless tips exiting straight out under the bumper. The original 2" exhaust was aluminized steel and dumped behind the rear wheel. The old setup did the job, but wasn't very exciting. The new stuff is way better.
Now, I'd heard tale that Flowmaster 40s can be so loud that conversations are difficult when cruising and people wear earplugs on long drives. On the 45 minutes drive back from the exhaust shop (Back Home Creations in Hamilton Ohio...I cant recommend them enough) I experienced exactly none of that.
Outside of some resonance at about 45 mph, the tone was pretty subdued and totally manageable. At 60, the noise isn't much more than my stock Jeep Gladiator at the same speed. My Monte still wears a thick sound-deadening coating on the floor boards, so that's probably helping. The idle tone is low and throaty, and quick blips on the throttle produce a great "muscle car" kind of sound. That lopey-cam idle sounds killer. I couldn't be happier.
I will say that the new urethane motor and trans mounts transfer a ton of vibration into the car, so I almost have more interior noise from rattles and such than I do from exhaust. I do need to address what is either a rattling from the deck lid or package tray at that 45 mph resonance. That sound is unpleasant, and must be handled.
So, pics (apologies, it wasn't my phone, and their lens was smudged):
Looking good! Going to try to hit any cruise ins or meet ups before the season ends?
Next on the docket is probably either a rework of the existing inner fenders - sand them down and spray them with some satin black meant for ABS, or just straight up replace them via repops.
The passenger side liner is rough. 50 years of an AC line scraping on it, and the mounting holes left from the associated brackets holding said line in place have left it in bad shape. It's also cracked where the battery tray has bent downward over the years and pushed thru the front of the liner. It does appear to be factory however, the fit is very clean. If it can be saved, I'd like to.
The drivers side liner is clearly aftermarket, as it doesn't nearly fit as nicely. But it's in significantly better shape.
Regardless, when that liner is out of there, I'm probably going to pull the AC box. Like I mentioned before, the AC doesn't work. And it's going to be a long time before the time or cash gets invested in making that system work again
Also, am astute observer might notice that there's no plumbing for heat. That's because at one point the heater core had cracked, and left a pool of coolant in the passengers footwell one fine day. I bypassed the heater core as a "temporary fix". When I later found out that the procedure for replacing the heater core required the entire dash to be disassembled, that "temporary" fix quickly became more permanent.
So, that box now serves exactly no purpose. A block off plate will likely replace it in short order.
The other big project on the horizon will be a disc rear brake conversion. This heavy Chevy now has the capacity for significantly higher speeds, and she requires a complimentary capacity to stop. While all that goes on, a rear sway bar and the accompanying upgraded rear arms will probably go on too.
It's just money, you can't take it with you...
eastsideTim said:Looking good! Going to try to hit any cruise ins or meet ups before the season ends?
I'm hoping to. She needs a bath after so many hands touching her insides. And there's a few needling ends that need tied up. But my hope is to find some October fun to get into before the weather turns...
So, what are you calling dieseling?
I always knew dieseling as the the engine continues to run after you shut off the ignition. It is literally running a gas engine by knock ignition.
I don't believe anything you do with fuel will stop dieseling. Neither will the torque convertor.
In other words, can you describe what the vehicle is actually doing?
wvumtnbkr said:So, what are you calling dieseling?
I always knew dieseling as the the engine continues to run after you shut off the ignition. It is literally running a gas engine by knock ignition.
I don't believe anything you do with fuel will stop dieseling. Neither will the torque convertor.
In other words, can you describe what the vehicle is actually doing?
A gas engine will "diesel" when the throttle blades are open too far at idle (usually combined with and/or to "compensate" for late ignition timing), as the vacuum from pistons on intake strokes suck fuel from carb, which then is ignited by heat from cylinder heads that are hot because of the late ignition timing.
In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :
Thanks! That was helpful!
AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:wvumtnbkr said:So, what are you calling dieseling?
I always knew dieseling as the the engine continues to run after you shut off the ignition. It is literally running a gas engine by knock ignition.
I don't believe anything you do with fuel will stop dieseling. Neither will the torque convertor.
In other words, can you describe what the vehicle is actually doing?
A gas engine will "diesel" when the throttle blades are open too far at idle (usually combined with and/or to "compensate" for late ignition timing), as the vacuum from pistons on intake strokes suck fuel from carb, which then is ignited by heat from cylinder heads that are hot because of the late ignition timing.
Yes, this ☝️. It continues to run after you turn the key to ignition off.
Except iin this instance it's not a timing issue. The idle is (intentionally) too high to compensate for the TC dragging the motor down at a stop in gear.
Took the car out this afternoon and ran around a little. After a long stop, went to head home and the the temp shot up to 220 in a heartbeat. Pulled over, shut her down. Rad hoses were rock hard, thermostat clearly stuck closed, which is weird considering this engine has less than 500 miles on it.
Let it cool enough to where I could crack the rad cap and release the pressure. Started up and ran 160 the rest of the way home.
Any ideas? Brand new thermostat and coolant, and the radiator itself has less than 2k on it...so not a rust or grime situation (I hope anyway).
I guess I should also mention it acted this way on the very first start. Went from zero to 220 in about 1 minute. But that time, when I shut it down, the thermostat opened on its own and you could hear fluid moving after it shut down. This time however, it didn't give until the pressure was released.
Probably time for a new thermostat?
I'm wondering if there's air in the block. There are thermostats that have a little check valve of sorts to allow gasses to pass but stop liquid which make burping the system basically automatic. That's what I would be looking for.
4cylndrfury said:AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:wvumtnbkr said:So, what are you calling dieseling?
I always knew dieseling as the the engine continues to run after you shut off the ignition. It is literally running a gas engine by knock ignition.
I don't believe anything you do with fuel will stop dieseling. Neither will the torque convertor.
In other words, can you describe what the vehicle is actually doing?
A gas engine will "diesel" when the throttle blades are open too far at idle (usually combined with and/or to "compensate" for late ignition timing), as the vacuum from pistons on intake strokes suck fuel from carb, which then is ignited by heat from cylinder heads that are hot because of the late ignition timing.
Yes, this ☝️. It continues to run after you turn the key to ignition off.
Except iin this instance it's not a timing issue. The idle is (intentionally) too high to compensate for the TC dragging the motor down at a stop in gear.
In this case, the engine needs more air to idle a little faster, but opening the throttle blades uncovers the transfer slots and allows the engine to pull fuel after key off.
The answer I've read is to drill a wee little hole in each of the primary throttle blades, to allow more air into the engine when the throttle blades are closed sufficiently to block the transfer slots.
I would Google some combo of those terms for your specific engine and carburetor.
pres589 (djronnebaum) said:I'm wondering if there's air in the block. There are thermostats that have a little check valve of sorts to allow gasses to pass but stop liquid which make burping the system basically automatic. That's what I would be looking for.
I spoke with the warranty folks at blueprint and they didn't outright say it in so many words, but seems like the thermostats in these full-dress crates not opening must happen with some regularity. The thermostats they use do have a bypass, but possibly mine is faulty and isn't allowing it to regulate steam pressure like it's meant to. They're shipping a new one out today with a gasket. Looks like I caught it just in time as I was just shy of what their warranty tech called "the danger zone" with temp.
I guess I should be grateful for my paranoia, I feel like I check oil pressure and temp gauges about every 30 secs lol.
AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:4cylndrfury said:AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:wvumtnbkr said:So, what are you calling dieseling?
I always knew dieseling as the the engine continues to run after you shut off the ignition. It is literally running a gas engine by knock ignition.
I don't believe anything you do with fuel will stop dieseling. Neither will the torque convertor.
In other words, can you describe what the vehicle is actually doing?
A gas engine will "diesel" when the throttle blades are open too far at idle (usually combined with and/or to "compensate" for late ignition timing), as the vacuum from pistons on intake strokes suck fuel from carb, which then is ignited by heat from cylinder heads that are hot because of the late ignition timing.
Yes, this ☝️. It continues to run after you turn the key to ignition off.
Except iin this instance it's not a timing issue. The idle is (intentionally) too high to compensate for the TC dragging the motor down at a stop in gear.
In this case, the engine needs more air to idle a little faster, but opening the throttle blades uncovers the transfer slots and allows the engine to pull fuel after key off.
The answer I've read is to drill a wee little hole in each of the primary throttle blades, to allow more air into the engine when the throttle blades are closed sufficiently to block the transfer slots.
I would Google some combo of those terms for your specific engine and carburetor.
I had read a little about that fix.
I should have a new torque converter in about a week with a much higher stall. Then I can set the idle back down a bit and hopefully not stall at stops lights lol. Once the stall is down, I should be free of the dieseling. But if not, wee throttle plate holes may be the ticket
So many updates.
New thermostat arrived and went in without hassle (except that the gasket they used was made out of super glue and frustration, and refused to come off). I did still drill a 1/16" hole in the flange for good measure. No more pressure backups for me. The temp isnt as steady as it was with the old engine, it ping-pongs between 160 and 185, whereas it used to be pretty steady. But I guess as long as it stays under 220 I'm ok with it.
Also, new torque converter went in. It's a custom unit that a local transmission shop whips up by cracking open a stock unit (I think from TH350 equpped Vegas) and using some black magic voodoo wizardry, matches the internals to the cam and carb that you're running. The unit is then furnace brazed back shut. All I know is it worked. The shop says the stall should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 500-600 more RPM over stock, and the smaller size units the Vegas ran helps keep heat at bay. It definitely feels better...no more rocking at stop lights and the engine actually idles down appropriately when coasting at speed.
The stalling issue wasn't corrected though. I had previously been convinced that the TC was to blame for the stalling issues I had at a stop, not allowing the engine to spin freely when idling. I was wrong. I called Blueprint techs again, shared what I was dealing with and asked for some advice. I had assumed that they dialed in everything between timing and fuel delivery for max HP, since their engines are dyno'd before shipping. The guy chuckled when I mentioned this. Essentially, because they can't begin to predict all the variables in the builds their engines are going into, they basically just get the thing running, ensure it's timed somewhere near optimal, and that the HP numbers are within a reasonable ballpark to what's advertised. Once that's established, the send it. He suggested I check base and total timing, and adjust the idle mix for max vacuum.
So I did.
One thing the Blueprint tech suggested is that I permanently disconnect the vacuum advance from the distributor. They have to connect it for emissions laws internationally, but they feel you are better off without it, they just can't put it in writing...because laws. So it was removed. I then connected a vacuum gauge to that ported vac source and dropped curb idle till the gauge read juuuust off of zero, indicating the transfer slots were nearly covered. This should stop the dieseling.
I then attached my timing light which has a digital tach, and fine tuned curb idle to get to about 750 RPMs. The initial timing was spot on the factory spec, at about 12° BTDC, but total was low, only about 29° at 3500 RPMs, so I bumped timing up to 34°, where Blueprint suggests it be set. Weirdly, idle RPMs didn't really fluxuate much, only came up about 25, but I still pulled it back down again with the curb idle screw.
I then reset the idle fuel mixture by bottoming the adjustment screws and brought them both out 2 full turns. Vac gauge wasn't super steady, but from there I adjusted the mix to get what appeared to be about 13 inches, which was is as much as I guess I could hope for with this cam.
All that work paid off though. After buttoning everything back up I went for a drive. The stalling issue is gone, and with the transfer slots covered, no more dieseling when shutting her off. SUCCESS!
But the raw performance is what really blew me away. The new motor defi packed a lot more punch compared to the tired and smokey 350 I pulled out. This much was evident in the first drive a few weeks back. But tonight the thing really came to life. This car now moves way faster than a vehicle of this weight has any right to lol. The throttle response is great, and it pulls and pulls, even with the 2.73 gear in back. I suppose 5° more timing will do that lol, but disconnecting the vac advance I think also plays into it. The tech at Blueprint said I'd notice it, and he was sure right.
I have never been more convinced that I need to do a disc brake conversion in the rear as as am now...she moves quick, now she needs to stop quick too.
I will double check my initial timing again because in all my haste, I never checked to make sure that stayed put. Hoping it will, as the distributor is brand new.
But I guess I'm officially calling this swap complete. Thanks to all who helped me along the way!
I wouldn't worry about the rear drums. I endurnace road Raced a 78 Malibu for years with rear drum brakes. Never had an issue and always had good pedal.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I would focus on the fronts first.
If the rears need more bite or more temperature tolerance, there are more aggressive shoes available for the drums. I believe Porterfield makes an R4 shoe that works with minimal temp and doesn't make any more noise than stock.
In reply to wvumtnbkr :
I did swap out the stock rotors for slotted, and upgraded to carbon ceramic pads. I do have more room in the wheels for larger rotors and calipers.
Luckily I never found the mechanical or heat limit of these brakes, and I have no plans for competitive driving if any kind with this car. But I don't want to have the performance of the front outpace the rear to the point where it could be a problem...
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