Yesterday I took some time to finally change the headlight switch. I removed the four screws holding the interior panel so I could get to the switch. You need a really wide screwdriver to open the screw that holds the switch in place. I didn't have one so I cut a small piece from sheet metal that I could use. Then I just moved the wiring and vacuum hoses to the new switch, started the car and tested the connections. And it worked! The headlamps opened up almost immediately!
Screwing everything back together took a few minutes and then it was time for a test drive. I drove around the block playing with the light and they responded after only a few seconds of hesitation after putting the lights on or off. And even the knob now stayed in the switch without coming off every time you turned the light on. One thing less to worry about again.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Driving Season Is Here
After getting the subwoofer ready, it was time to test the Corvette. I reported it back to traffic so it could be legally driven again. After printing the papers, I jumped behind the wheel and went for a test drive with my wife. We drove about 50 km and the car seemed to work really well. Only problem was the radio. While driving, the USB-reader didn't work that well. It seemed to lose power every few minutes and stop playing. I'll have to check the wiring if it's loose.
I finally also received the headlight switch but still no window motor. Oh well, getting the lights to work is more important anyway so that'll be my next job after enjoying the car for a while...
I finally also received the headlight switch but still no window motor. Oh well, getting the lights to work is more important anyway so that'll be my next job after enjoying the car for a while...
Friday, May 11, 2012
Subwoofer Ready
I finally got the subwoofer done for my Corvette. It took much longer than I thought because I had some other things to do for a while but at least it is ready now.
I started the build by removing the rear compartment doors and measuring the hole. I used the door assembly to draw the correct shape to a piece of MDF and cut it out. Then it was time to design the subwoofer box itself. The compartment shape was quite problematic as the walls were angled. I wanted to use straight edges as much as possible to make the build easier so finally this became the plan:
The box is about as large as possible with using mostly 90 degree angles. Without the one cut in the front right corner the box would have been too small for just about any element. I also realized that the 10" SPL Dynamics woofer was too large without cutting the car. I didn't want to do that so I had to buy an 8" one. As the main speakers were Kickers, I got a Kicker Solo Baric S8C. It was meant for small, about 9,5 liter boxes so it was perfect. Mine measured about 8,5 liters but I just had to live with it.
After getting all the measurements, building the box was rather simple. I cut all the pieces with a jigsaw and just glued and screwed them together. I used a lot of glue on all the edges too so I could be sure that the box would be airtight. A piece of 3 mm hardwood was also attached to the top. It was a few centimeters larger than the MDF so it would cover the carpet edges in the car.
After completing the box, I had to test all the components. I wired the amplifier and subwoofer and put all the pieces in the car.
Then the moment of truth. Carefully I attached the negative cable to the battery and checked that no fuses burned and that all seemed OK. As things seemed to be as they should, I turned on the ignition and the radio. And voilá, I had a working subwoofer in my car! I tested a few songs from my old rock collection and actually had some bass in them now!
As a happy camper I went on to finalize my installation. But first I had to decide how to install the amplifier. With the box in place, I saw that it would not fit straight away over the driveshaft tunnel. After some thinking, I decided to put it over the tunnel angled. I would just use three pieces of MDF: one as a platform and two under it to hold it in place over the tunnel. I cut the pieces and filed them a bit so they sat nice and tight. This is what it looked like after screwing them together:
Now all the pieces were ready and it was time to cover the ugly MDF. Finding some red felt took a few Google searches but AutoStudio had some. It was a bit lighter red the the rest of the interior but would have to do. One roll would have been enough but I cut the largest piece wrong and had to do it again. And for that I had to buy a second roll. Luckily it wasn't that expensive.
For attaching the felt, I got some spray glue. The instructions said that I should spray it on both surfaces, let it dry for 15 to 20 minutes and then put them together. I did just that and here are the results:
Pretty nice. Final piece was the door to cover the battery and the amp. It was made from the same 3 mm hardwood that was glued over the MDF and then covered with felt. I attached a hinge to it with some rivets and screwed the other side of the hinge to the box. And with that the box was done!
Putting the box in the car went smoothly. I started by screwing the amplifier to its base and placed it over the driveshaft tunnel. Then I needed to cut some of the wires to correct length and attach them to the amp. The box was just dropped over everything and finally the subwoofer screwed in. After attaching the ground cable to the battery again, everything was ready!
A friend of mine that sells car audio equipment also happened to visit right after I got the subwoofer working and tuned the radio and the amp for me. It sounded pretty sweet! The 8" sub seemed enough for the really small space inside the Corvette.
My friend said that the Clatronic AR 817 radio that I had, had a pretty strange frequency response curve. The higher frequences were much weaker that the lower end. Well, what can you expect from such a cheap head unit. I'll have to test a better one when possible.
I might also paint the aluminium rivets from the lid so they won't be so visible. Oh, and I also need a cover for the subwoofer so stuff won't get on it and break it.
I started the build by removing the rear compartment doors and measuring the hole. I used the door assembly to draw the correct shape to a piece of MDF and cut it out. Then it was time to design the subwoofer box itself. The compartment shape was quite problematic as the walls were angled. I wanted to use straight edges as much as possible to make the build easier so finally this became the plan:
The box is about as large as possible with using mostly 90 degree angles. Without the one cut in the front right corner the box would have been too small for just about any element. I also realized that the 10" SPL Dynamics woofer was too large without cutting the car. I didn't want to do that so I had to buy an 8" one. As the main speakers were Kickers, I got a Kicker Solo Baric S8C. It was meant for small, about 9,5 liter boxes so it was perfect. Mine measured about 8,5 liters but I just had to live with it.
After getting all the measurements, building the box was rather simple. I cut all the pieces with a jigsaw and just glued and screwed them together. I used a lot of glue on all the edges too so I could be sure that the box would be airtight. A piece of 3 mm hardwood was also attached to the top. It was a few centimeters larger than the MDF so it would cover the carpet edges in the car.
After completing the box, I had to test all the components. I wired the amplifier and subwoofer and put all the pieces in the car.
Then the moment of truth. Carefully I attached the negative cable to the battery and checked that no fuses burned and that all seemed OK. As things seemed to be as they should, I turned on the ignition and the radio. And voilá, I had a working subwoofer in my car! I tested a few songs from my old rock collection and actually had some bass in them now!
As a happy camper I went on to finalize my installation. But first I had to decide how to install the amplifier. With the box in place, I saw that it would not fit straight away over the driveshaft tunnel. After some thinking, I decided to put it over the tunnel angled. I would just use three pieces of MDF: one as a platform and two under it to hold it in place over the tunnel. I cut the pieces and filed them a bit so they sat nice and tight. This is what it looked like after screwing them together:
Now all the pieces were ready and it was time to cover the ugly MDF. Finding some red felt took a few Google searches but AutoStudio had some. It was a bit lighter red the the rest of the interior but would have to do. One roll would have been enough but I cut the largest piece wrong and had to do it again. And for that I had to buy a second roll. Luckily it wasn't that expensive.
For attaching the felt, I got some spray glue. The instructions said that I should spray it on both surfaces, let it dry for 15 to 20 minutes and then put them together. I did just that and here are the results:
Pretty nice. Final piece was the door to cover the battery and the amp. It was made from the same 3 mm hardwood that was glued over the MDF and then covered with felt. I attached a hinge to it with some rivets and screwed the other side of the hinge to the box. And with that the box was done!
Putting the box in the car went smoothly. I started by screwing the amplifier to its base and placed it over the driveshaft tunnel. Then I needed to cut some of the wires to correct length and attach them to the amp. The box was just dropped over everything and finally the subwoofer screwed in. After attaching the ground cable to the battery again, everything was ready!
A friend of mine that sells car audio equipment also happened to visit right after I got the subwoofer working and tuned the radio and the amp for me. It sounded pretty sweet! The 8" sub seemed enough for the really small space inside the Corvette.
My friend said that the Clatronic AR 817 radio that I had, had a pretty strange frequency response curve. The higher frequences were much weaker that the lower end. Well, what can you expect from such a cheap head unit. I'll have to test a better one when possible.
I might also paint the aluminium rivets from the lid so they won't be so visible. Oh, and I also need a cover for the subwoofer so stuff won't get on it and break it.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Subwoofer For The Corvette
After installing the new gauges for my car, I ran into a small problem: I had ran out of parts to install. Sure there were some jobs like fixing the paint in my door still or fixing the spare tire tray but they were far from critical or impossible to do in a cold garage. I did order a new window motor to the passenger door and a new headlight switch but I wasn't sure when they would arrive. So I decided that I would install a subwoofer to the Corvette while waiting...
I didn't really want to spend that much money to it as listening to the radio wasn't the main point of the car. So I surfed a few auction sites and found an used amplifier and subwoofer set. I was mostly interested in the amplifier as I already had one unused subwoofer element but getting everything for the same price was a good deal. I also went out and bought a wiring kit.
The amplifier was a SPL Dynamics MT-502 and the element a SPL Dynamics V-10S. Pretty basic stuff but enough for me. I was thinking about building a case to the passenger side trunk compartment. I measured it and the maximum case size there would be about 15 liters. Let's see how it goes.
I didn't really want to spend that much money to it as listening to the radio wasn't the main point of the car. So I surfed a few auction sites and found an used amplifier and subwoofer set. I was mostly interested in the amplifier as I already had one unused subwoofer element but getting everything for the same price was a good deal. I also went out and bought a wiring kit.
The amplifier was a SPL Dynamics MT-502 and the element a SPL Dynamics V-10S. Pretty basic stuff but enough for me. I was thinking about building a case to the passenger side trunk compartment. I measured it and the maximum case size there would be about 15 liters. Let's see how it goes.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Changing The Ammeter Gauge To Newer Voltmeter
After redesigning and building new wiring harnesses for my Corvette, the old ammeter gauge wasn't really working. I did not really know how it was supposed to work in any case. If I understood correctly, it just showed which way the current was flowing: to or from the battery. With the new harnesses it always stayed dead center, so it wasn't really that useful. A voltmeter on the other hand would be much more informative as I could see how the alternator was working.
1976 Corvette is the last year that uses the ammeter and the 1977 model already has the voltmeter. I bought an used gauge a few months ago and decided to switch them. I heard that the sizes and shapes should be exactly the same but I would need to drill one hole to the back of the gauge panel. This information proved correct and one new hole later, the new voltmeter gauge was installed.
Then the troubles started. I reassembled the console and tested the gauge. A few hours of testing, fiddling and Googling later I learned that the voltmeter must be connected exactly correct or it won't display right voltages. I found an informative page from "European Corvette", that explains what's needed in the gauges. And this is needed for the voltmeter:
1976 Corvette is the last year that uses the ammeter and the 1977 model already has the voltmeter. I bought an used gauge a few months ago and decided to switch them. I heard that the sizes and shapes should be exactly the same but I would need to drill one hole to the back of the gauge panel. This information proved correct and one new hole later, the new voltmeter gauge was installed.
Then the troubles started. I reassembled the console and tested the gauge. A few hours of testing, fiddling and Googling later I learned that the voltmeter must be connected exactly correct or it won't display right voltages. I found an informative page from "European Corvette", that explains what's needed in the gauges. And this is needed for the voltmeter:
- Lowest connector must have the positive wire.
- Lower and upper connector must have the correct plastic resistor (with light blue sticker) between them. This resistor should have 125 ohms.
- The third connector is ground. No wire is needed as the holding nut should touch the body of the console.
With these points in mind, I went through the wiring diagrams. Most likely the wiring junction in the engine compartment would be the best place where to add the voltmeter positive wire. Then the gauge would show the true alternator voltage. Unfortunately then there would be voltage in the wire all the time. I needed this to happen only when ignition was on. Luckily this was easy as all the pink power wires for the other gauges work just like that. So I just added a 10 centimeter wire from the oil pressure gauge to the voltmeter. After all the work, this is how it looked:
I turned the ignition on and the gauge seemed to work. I checked the battery with a multimeter and got a bit over 12 volts. Unfortunately the fuel gauge didn't seem to work even after I changed it too. It is still showing too much. I'll have to investigate it further.
Friday, February 24, 2012
American Sale Document
While trying to get the engine running and waiting for the weather warm up a bit, I happened to find the original eBay sales document of my car. I guess eBay saves them as PDF files after the auction has ended. Well, here it is:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/132090/corvette_ebay.pdf
Too bad that the images are really small and some of the text is hidden but it was still fun to read through it. All I can say is that bull*hit was strong in this one. Some of the gems include:
Let's see:
"Chance of a lifetime project car": yeah, one that you will have to work on for a lifetime to get it running.
"Good mechanical condition": umm, there wasn't a single working electrical equipment, bushings and bearings were shot, rust damage was covered up with urethane foam, all wiring needed to be changed etc.
"Re-built engine": the block was in pretty good condition but the heads were cracked and needed to be replaced or the engine would overheat.
"Transmission recently re-built" and "needs shift cable": no, the cable was fine, the shifter linkage inside the transmission was not. The linkage bolt was loose and it did not shift properly.
So yeah, I guess this seller is as POS lying bastard as any old car dealer...
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/132090/corvette_ebay.pdf
Too bad that the images are really small and some of the text is hidden but it was still fun to read through it. All I can say is that bull*hit was strong in this one. Some of the gems include:
- Chance of a Lifetime Project Car
- Good Mechanical Condition
- Re-Built Engine
- Transmission Recently Re-Built
- Needs Shift Cable
Let's see:
"Chance of a lifetime project car": yeah, one that you will have to work on for a lifetime to get it running.
"Good mechanical condition": umm, there wasn't a single working electrical equipment, bushings and bearings were shot, rust damage was covered up with urethane foam, all wiring needed to be changed etc.
"Re-built engine": the block was in pretty good condition but the heads were cracked and needed to be replaced or the engine would overheat.
"Transmission recently re-built" and "needs shift cable": no, the cable was fine, the shifter linkage inside the transmission was not. The linkage bolt was loose and it did not shift properly.
So yeah, I guess this seller is as POS lying bastard as any old car dealer...
Thursday, February 23, 2012
The Corvette Lives Again!
Finally, after days of frustration, fiddling and tuning the carb and distributor I got the motor running again! I began by installing the intake manifold and valve covers. The valve cover gaskets were also pretty perished so I installed new, better ones.
I heard that these should last a long time and allow me to remove the valve covers and reuse the gaskets. Next I bolted the carburetor on the engine and connected all the vacuum hoses and cables. Final piece was the distributor. I tried installing it the same way as when I removed it and after a few tries everything seemed to be in the correct place and looking nice.
After double checking that I got everything right, it was time to try starting the engine. It cranked fine but would not run. The engine just shuddered and died after a while. I checked the carb and something was wrong. When pulling the throttle, the accelerator pump did not squirt gas. Only a few drops fell out of the nozzles. But this wasn't the only problem. I had some gas in a canister and poured a little straight in the barrels. This should allow the engine to run for a little while but it did not. Most likely the ignition was off too.
I decided to start from the distributor. I took it off and needed to get the number 1 piston to TDC. Unfortunately more troubles followed when I started turning the engine by hand from the balancer bolt. Pretty soon the ratchet was turning but the bolt wasn't. I couldn't see it but by feeling it, I noticed that the bolt was almost completely round. Only good thing was that the socket still hooked enough to open it. I went and bought something better to replace it.
Now turning the engine by hand wasn't a problem any more. Finally I got the crank to the right position and installed the distributor again. And the engine still did not run. Just shuddered and died. Next I investigated the carburetor. After some googling I found that the plastic accelerator pump cam can be installed in two ways. I wasn't sure I had got it right so took it out. It was, in fact, correct so I just screwed it back in. But this made a huge difference! The accelerator pump worked perfectly after this! Perhaps it just did not fill with fuel while under the throttle lever pressure all the time?
Now that the gas issue seemed to be solved, it was time to go back to the ignition again. The engine still did not run so I got the distributor out one more time. It was time to turn to Google again and I found this excellent video from YouTube:
I watched through all three parts and went back to work. It did seem that the ignition was about right so I set the distributor back in and fiddled with the carb a bit. I tuned the idle screw, mixture screws and accelerator pump and tried starting after each change. And behold! After a few tries the engine actually ran! Pretty poorly but still ran enough for me to get out of the car and turn the distributor. Pretty soon I got the ignition timing correct and idle speed to normal.
After all the work, it at least felt that the engine ran smoother and revved better than before. Naturally I would have to take the car for a test drive to see the final situation. Unfortunately this would have to wait for a month or two until the snows melt... The engine bay looked better though.
I heard that these should last a long time and allow me to remove the valve covers and reuse the gaskets. Next I bolted the carburetor on the engine and connected all the vacuum hoses and cables. Final piece was the distributor. I tried installing it the same way as when I removed it and after a few tries everything seemed to be in the correct place and looking nice.
After double checking that I got everything right, it was time to try starting the engine. It cranked fine but would not run. The engine just shuddered and died after a while. I checked the carb and something was wrong. When pulling the throttle, the accelerator pump did not squirt gas. Only a few drops fell out of the nozzles. But this wasn't the only problem. I had some gas in a canister and poured a little straight in the barrels. This should allow the engine to run for a little while but it did not. Most likely the ignition was off too.
I decided to start from the distributor. I took it off and needed to get the number 1 piston to TDC. Unfortunately more troubles followed when I started turning the engine by hand from the balancer bolt. Pretty soon the ratchet was turning but the bolt wasn't. I couldn't see it but by feeling it, I noticed that the bolt was almost completely round. Only good thing was that the socket still hooked enough to open it. I went and bought something better to replace it.
 |
| Old bolt. I'm glad I got it out without too much fighting. |
Now turning the engine by hand wasn't a problem any more. Finally I got the crank to the right position and installed the distributor again. And the engine still did not run. Just shuddered and died. Next I investigated the carburetor. After some googling I found that the plastic accelerator pump cam can be installed in two ways. I wasn't sure I had got it right so took it out. It was, in fact, correct so I just screwed it back in. But this made a huge difference! The accelerator pump worked perfectly after this! Perhaps it just did not fill with fuel while under the throttle lever pressure all the time?
Now that the gas issue seemed to be solved, it was time to go back to the ignition again. The engine still did not run so I got the distributor out one more time. It was time to turn to Google again and I found this excellent video from YouTube:
I watched through all three parts and went back to work. It did seem that the ignition was about right so I set the distributor back in and fiddled with the carb a bit. I tuned the idle screw, mixture screws and accelerator pump and tried starting after each change. And behold! After a few tries the engine actually ran! Pretty poorly but still ran enough for me to get out of the car and turn the distributor. Pretty soon I got the ignition timing correct and idle speed to normal.
After all the work, it at least felt that the engine ran smoother and revved better than before. Naturally I would have to take the car for a test drive to see the final situation. Unfortunately this would have to wait for a month or two until the snows melt... The engine bay looked better though.
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