Messages

1

Maintenance / Getting a skip / hesitation during cruise speeds

« on: July 02, 2010, 05:09:54 PM »

I just installed a new MSD Pro-billet distibutor, new plugs, new wires, timed the engine, etc...and just about all of my problems went away, except I'm getting a skip or hesitation during cruise speeds.  I doubled checked my plug wire connections to my distributor cap and they're all in the correct order on the cap. 

Its almost like the engine is mis-firing, but I get no back fire.  I smell heavy gas like I'm not igniting all the fuel in one or more cylinders. 

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Don

2

General Discussion / Garage Lifts

« on: July 31, 2008, 02:21:15 AM »

Any recomendations on garage lifts?  I'm considering purchasing the new 5th Gen Camaro but first need to figure out where I'd park it. 

My garage ceiling is roughly 104 inches.  My 68 Camaro is around 52 inches high and the lifts I've seen require about 67 inches for the lower vehicle.  The height of the new Camaro (http://www.camaro5.com/forums/images/camarospecs.pdf) is about 54 inches so it would fit under the lifts I've seen.

Looking for any recomendations / feedback / experiences / suggestions / etc... 

Comments welcome.

Thanks

3

Maintenance / Re: Electrical issue with directonals and back-up lamps (68-RS)

« on: April 27, 2008, 12:42:37 PM »

Thanks for the follow ups guys.

I have flashers in both sockets (fuse panel and pink / purple wire connection under dash).  I found a post on our forum here about swapping the flashers - I tried this and the directionals still didn't work.  I even bought a new flasher (cheap - $2.50) and no difference. 

So after extensive troubleshooting all day yesterday I believe I've got a bad ground somewhere.  I just have no idea where, and the schematics for these cars aren't that great. 

Anyone have any suggestions on troubleshooting for bad ground somewhere?  Starting around the wire harness under the dash?

I'm really bummed.  It's been gorgeous here and I can't drive b/c my inspection sticker is past due and I've got no directionals.  No directionals...no inspection sticker. 

Thanks -

4

Maintenance / Re: Electrical issue with directonals and back-up lamps (68-RS)

« on: April 26, 2008, 11:20:41 PM »

Ok got an update.

I pulled the steering wheel (easy part) and replaced the directionals switch in the column with a new one.  Replaced column and streering wheel, and...no directionals!

So back to square 1, except I'm $72 dollars in the hole for a new directional switch harness.  I guess it could be worse, I could have paid someone $45 dollars an hour to do what I did, which took nearly the full day.  Labor's not cheap, but then again nor is my time...

So - I believe I've got a nasty ground situation somewhere.  Problem is, I did a full frame-off resto about a couple years ago and replaced all the wiring with new.  Everything worked great, until...

I'm open to ideas. 

Thanks,
Don

5

Maintenance / Electrical issue with directonals and back-up lamps (68-RS)

« on: April 26, 2008, 03:11:05 PM »

   This is killing me!

I just developed an electrical issue with my directionals.  Here's the scenario:

- I've troubleshot with my voltmeter and and see power on the Pink wire to the directionals flasher
- I flip the directional switch on the steering column and see power applied up the column via the Purple wire
- NO DIRECTIONALS

The directionals worked just fine prior to me using the power-top convertible switch under the dash (I have a Convertible RS).  The switch wasn't responding so I worked it a little harder and the top went up, but then that's when the directionals stopped working. 

Unfortunately, I haven't seen any wiring diagrams which show how the power-top switch interacts with the rest of the harness.  Could it be that there's some interaction with the directional switch in the column?!?

Second issue:
I also have power to the back-up tail lights on my 68-RS, but no illumination.  The bulbs are brand new and correct part number (1156).

I don't believe my directionals problem has anything to do with the reverse lights not working.  I can certainly see how the Pink wire goes to the floor shifter, but I've troubleshot the floor shifter switch as well and very clearly see the power get applied to the Green wire, which goes to the reverse tail light bulbs.  I remove the tail light bulbs themselves and put the volt meter into the socket and I SEE POWER!  What is going on!

Help!

6

Maintenance / Re: Fuse pops when heater is turned on

« on: December 09, 2007, 08:21:57 PM »

   Correction! 

I just looked at my Chilton's manual and it actually shows an orange wire going to the blower motor.  The schematics I purchased (Jim Osborn Reproductions, Inc.) don't show an orange wire. 

Anyway, problem solved.

End of thread.

7

Maintenance / Re: Fuse pops when heater is turned on

« on: December 09, 2007, 08:03:24 PM »

Ok - finally got around to trying this experiment. 

First, I wasn't aware that the blower motor was in the front fender well.  Not knowing where to look, I actually snooped around just above the tire under the fender - both the driver and passenger sides.  No orange wire or blower motor. 

Then I opened the hood and low and behold there was a bright orange wire leading from the fire wall to the passenger side front fender.  The blower motor is actually just under the fender in the engine bay, up by the windshield.  Again, if you follow the orange wire you can't miss it.

Next, I disconnected the orange wire and hooked up a volt meter with positive lead to the orange wire and negative lead to the negative on the battery terminal.  I inserted a 25Amp fuse (incidentially this is the correct fuse rating, not 30Amp as was previously suggested), turned the ignition to BATTery position and moved the heater switch to HOT.  I checked the volt meter and there was no power to the orange lead.  This told me I had a direct short to ground somewhere...not fun.

Fortunately I found the ground short pretty quick.  I had installed an original AC Delco AM radio last summer and although it worked great the ground lead to the radio was shorting out the heater circuit.  Since I didn't need the heater in the summer (I live in New England) I didn't find this issue until late this Fall. 

So - I pulled the ground wire from the radio and retested the power to the orange wire and WALA...12volts!

And the heater still works great after reconnecting the orange wire.

Thanks for the tips on this one.  If Rich and Joe hadn't pointed me to the orange wire I would probably still be scratching my head since my schematics DO NOT show an orange wire going to the blower motor. 

So all is well and once again the CRG saved me!   

Thanks Rich and Joe!

Regards,

Don StP
68-RS

8

Maintenance / Re: Fuse pops when heater is turned on

« on: November 27, 2007, 03:45:14 AM »

Interesting.  I had a 25A fuse in this slot. 

I'll double check the docs and get the right fuse and then run the test you guys suggested.

Thanks for the tip.  I'll respond back with what I find.

Don

9

Maintenance / Fuse pops when heater is turned on

« on: November 25, 2007, 09:55:36 PM »

My heater used to work great but recently I turned it on and blew the Heater fuse.  So far the only thing I can tell is the fuse ONLY blows when the heater switch it moved to the ON position - in other words there doesn't seem to be another circuit conflicting with the heater, thereby causing the fuse to blow.

I have the schematics, and upon initial inspection everything seems to lead to the RELAY assembly, RESISTOR assembly or BLOWER MOTOR. 

Anyone have any experience with this?  Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Don
68-RS

10

Restoration / Re: Excellent Source for Original AC Delco AM and AM / FM Radios!

« on: May 19, 2007, 07:28:15 PM »

Guys act fast - this guy's got another auction going on right now on Ebay for:

1967 67 1968 68 Camaro Firebird AM Delco Radio + NICE!  RESTORED, SHOW QUALITY, 5 YR WARRANTY ,100% Returnable

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220112697975&ssPageName=ADME:B:FSEL:MT:1

You cannot beat the quality of this guy ANYWHERE.

Good luck with the auction!

Don
 

11

Maintenance / Re: Synthetic oil or not

« on: May 11, 2007, 03:44:52 AM »

Thanks guys for the feedback. 

The owner of the auto shop store I spoke with said a real advantage of using synthetics is you don't get "cold starts" or said another way, synthetics adhere better and you get better lubrication at initial ignition vs traditional motor oil.

I agree marketing is powerful but as an engineer myself I look to the data and that's what I'm looking for here.  Perhaps I need to dig elsewhere to get the raw facts.

Thanks again!
Don

12

Maintenance / Synthetic oil or not

« on: May 10, 2007, 03:01:03 AM »

Anyone have any suggestions about using synthetic engine oil?  I'm about to do the first oil change on my 68-RS 327 and I'm not sure if using synthetic on these older engines is a good idea. 

Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Don

 

13

Maintenance / Re: Propensity to stall...

« on: May 10, 2007, 02:56:47 AM »

Hi Guys - not sure what went wrong but I had the idle set too high and after adjusting it to the right speed everything seems to be working much better.  Seems the Holly Carbs are sensitive to this - or is idle a primary factor in carb performance and float adjustment.  Any insight on that one would be helpful. 

Thanks again.  For now I'm good!

Spring is here!

Don

14

Restoration / Excellent Source for Original AC Delco AM and AM / FM Radios!

« on: April 07, 2007, 01:19:54 AM »

CRG Members,

If you've got a hole in your console where the radio used to sit, chances are you've spent considerable time searching for a decent looking replacement.  I personally have spent considerable time doing some very deep searches in my quest for a quality restoration and I finally found one.  See attached picture. 

There's been a number of posts regarding AC Delco radios, including one I can't seem to find anymore on where to find one.  I figured I'd offer a new post to help others in their quest to find a quality restoration.

This is by far *the* best restoration I have seen, bar none.  I believe the vendor is an electronics tech, because he said he goes through the radio inside/out, and is so confident in his work that he guarantees the radio for 2 years.  Because we had some shipping issues, he bumped the guarantee up to 5yrs for me at no extra cost.  Excellent customer service and a good guy to do business with. 

I won the auction to purchase this radio, which is an original 1968 AC Delco AM radio, off ebay from JV Restorations.  As a general rule of thumb, a high quality restoration like this one will run you about $350 to $400 dollars, and an AM / FM will run you about $1,000 dollars.     Crazy I know, but they are very hard to come by so they command a premium, especially if they're in mint condition.

It's crazy to think we indiscriminently pulled these radios out and junked them 30yrs ago.  If we only knew what we know today...

I hope you find this post helpful, and if nothing else the time I've spent in my search will help shave some time for you by having read this. Good luck in the hunt but do give JV Restorations a shot to see if he might have what you're looking for.  His email is: joevijil@adelphia.net

Let us know if you find something and post your pics if you do.

Happy tuning! 

Don

15

Site Comments/Discussion / Re: What determines status on the Forum?

« on: April 07, 2007, 12:27:22 AM »

Thanks guys.  Looks like you can call me Jr pretty soon!   

All kidding aside, doesn't matter what we're called because either way I have found this forum to be tremendously helpful. BIG thanks to the folks that developed and maintain this tool. 

Keep up the great work! 

Regards,
Don "Jr" St. Pierre