Adding Stripes

I wanted to give a bit of new look for my car so I ordered some matte black 3M 1080 masking wrap from Automatrix. I decided to start small and just add some highlights for the hood bump. I began by taping some paper on the hood and marking the outline on it. After cutting it out, I used it as a template for cutting the tape.

I also painted the hood grille black so it matches the stripes.

I'm not absolutely sure if the car look better or worse with the stripes. I'll have to let the new look sink in a few days :) Luckily it is easy to peel the tapes off without damage. The 3M tape was really simple to use so changing the look is no problem.

Cabin Heat Problems

I took a longer drive with the Corvette and noticed that adding Stinger Roadkill to the cabin did not solve the heat issues in the car. It just took a bit longer for the cabin to become a sauna. So more needed to be done. I spent some time googling and many others have the same issues with C3 Corvettes. I found three different issues that I addressed:

1. Heater core isolation
2. Hood weatherstrip
3. AC and heater box sealing

Heater Core Isolation

The biggest issue was the heater core. I found that the heater feed hose should have a vacuum operated valve that cuts the water circulation when the AC temperature setting is in cold. The valve was missing so it meant that the heater was always working at full power! No wonder the cabin temperature rose...

Seems that many people have problems with the vacuum valve and have replaced it with a manual valve. As I only drive during summer, the heater is not really needed so I decided to do the same. And I can get a manual valve from the local hardware store as opposed to ordering from US. To completely isolate the heater core, I added valves to both hoses. Otherwise heat can creep up through the drain hose on long drives.

I found some nice, small ball valves, cut the hoses and installed them. It will be easy to replace them later if I decide to install an original vacuum valve. When doing this, just note that the feed hose (from the intake manifold) needs 1/2 inch nipples and the drain hose 3/4 inch.

While doing this investigation, I also realised that I need to find the vacuum hose that should feed the valve. And I found it sticking out from the firewall under other hoses and wires. It had been cut so it was causing a vacuum leak! No wonder the other vacuum operated valves in the dash did not work correctly.

Hood Weatherstrip

Another common reason for cabin heat is a perished hood weatherstrip. Mine was missing completely. I've had one for years but had not installed it yet... This allows engine heat to enter the cowl area where the fresh air intake is. This could be fixed with a little drop of glue so I got that sorted in a few minutes.

AC And Heater Box Sealing

While working under the hood, I noticed that a lot of air was flowing out of the heater/AC box. Sealing was mostly gone so nearly all of the fresh air from the blower escaped through the seams to the engine bay. I did not have the sealing kit available so I stuffed some foam in the gaps.

Results

I've taken some shorter drives with the car after these changes. Cabin temperature has dropped to much more tolerable level. It's still pretty warm but nowhere near the oven heat it was before. I also noticed that the car is much quieter now with the hood weatherstrip in place. I guess a lot of air was flowing through the gap as it was causing wind noise.

Unfortunately sealing the heater box did not fix the poor air flow in the car. Even with the blower at full power, there's hardly any air coming out of the vents. I'll need to investigate that a bit more.