....: As work continues, I can now say that, with the exception of the engine block and heads and the tranny, I have dissassembled and/or inspected and repaired/rebuilt every sub assembly on the car.

05 August 2011

As work continues, I can now say that, with the exception of the engine block and heads and the tranny, I have dissassembled and/or inspected and repaired/rebuilt every sub assembly on the car.

This post is in draft and will have continual updates until a major task is accomplished.

(They all seem major, though)

While I've been waiting for VetteAid to finish the custom speedo/tach/gauge kit with custom modded dash/AC/wiper motor/engine compartment wiring harness, I'm been working on stuff at the rear of the cabin, cleaning/removing old carpet backing and glue, etc. I need to wait for the new harness set up before I install the firewall insulation, pedal assemblies, steering column,etc. since the new harness configuration will eliminate the need for some, if not most, of the holes in the fire wall. Once all this is done, the front of the cab can be assembled to the point the car can be started, driven back and forth in the driveway/garage, and systems checks can be conducted. Meanwhile.....

Repairing/rebuilding the steering column; sleeve needed repainting, required the disassembling of the steering column. I already had the column out of the car, so it was that much easier to partially disassemble it. It needed a new lower bearing retainer and cap and it looks like it might need new components for the ignition switch rod.

VettAid is adding to the interior harness an alarm w/fob that will disable the computer and activate the alarm. It will also replace the ignition key with a push button starter and a hidden power/kill switch. The push button starter replaces the factory ignition lock/starter on the column and the hidden power/kill switch will be....well, that's for me to know. This also replaces the factory alarm so I filled in the alarm switch hole in the rear of the body and I don't need the new ignition lock and other replacement/repair parts I've ordered. I don't have power door locks, so I'll still have to use a key to unlock/open the doors. However, the system allows me to add power door locks later if I want.

While the gas tank is out and I could access it, I patched the holes in the rear cabin bulkhead that a previous owner (PO) had cut into them in order to mount speakers. It was a stupid idea on his part; the back of the speakers were exposed to the elements. I will mount rear speakers in home made brackets - mo' to follow.

One of the speaker holes w/fiberglass patch curing. View is from where the gas tank mounts.

Installed the e-brake handle yesterday. I had already installed the new front and rear cables way back when I assembled the suspension. Of course, new e-brakes came with the new VBP rear training arms and spindles/bearings.

Got the gas tank installed and the fuel pump (FP) test run yesterday....but not after another 2 steps forward - 1 1/2 steps back episode. In the earlier post on building the gas tank/fuel system, I show how I installed the F-body FP. What I didn't detail was building the wiring harness for it. Since the '73 had a mechanical FP, there is no power/ground lead in the rear body wiring harness. So, I built one by connecting wires to the pwr and gnd leads on the female connector and placing a bayonet connector on the end of the pwr lead and a ring connector on the gnd lead. During some of the test starts the old connector needed to jiggled to get a positive connection, so I bought a new GM/Delco connector and rebuilt the wiring harness. If you've removed/installed a C3 gas tank, you know there is some difficulty getting the bolts at the rear of the hold down straps started. Outside of that, it's a fairly simple task.....but, when the car is only 18" off the ground because you don't have a lift AND it's about 85% humidity at ~90°. Anyway, somehow I managed to hook my elbow on the ground wire, separating the butt connector in the pretty wiring loom I built, which, of course, was located on the top of the tank, requiring the tank to be dropped again, AFTER everything was connected and tightened up...AAARRRRGGHH!!

Reply to comment by Anonymous:
Thanks,
Well, I'm no where near being pathfinder. There are dozens of guys who have done this before me. A couple of them were instrumental in helping me get started and guiding me through my initial steps. If you haven't yet, you should check the Corvette Forum. In the C3 Tech section is a sticky that has a ton of info. Here's the link:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-tech-performance/1765292-who-out-there-has-actually-swapped-an-ls1-ls2-ls6-into-their-c3.html

Yes, I need to start vendor/parts list. I've been meaning to do it...and intend to.....

On the "shoulda dones", I'll try to back track and update some posts with that info. I do explain in a few posts in this blog. I really did intend to document my work in more detail with pix and notes, but the way I am, I start working and forget about stopping to write and take pix. There have been so many times that I've said, "Damn, I shoulda taken pix!!".

I'm going to be out of town for a few weeks and I'm still waiting on the VettAid custom guages/dash harness/security system/electric start/etc. before I can do anymore major work.

4 comments:

Anonymous09 August, 2011 20:35
Great job on the updates. Are you keeping a list of parts/suppliers/cost for your project. IE: LS conversion wiring harness/Vettaid/$800. You are like the pathfinder for those that go behind... we are looking for your trail of "breadcrumbs" to follow.. Something else, sometime we learn more by what we did wrong on a project than what we did right the second time around. You've been there... done that.. A "this is what I should have done the first time" for your sub-assemblies would be very helpful. IE: Exhaust Assembly: Melrose headers vs factory exhaust... stainless...2 1/2"..

As I said a great project.. you have learned tons by the experience and your efforts to share are greatly appreciated for those seeking to follow your foot steps. Only thing better would be sitting down with a note pad, and a camera as you progress through the entire project.

Keep going, and keep sharing!!
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cliff08 September, 2011 23:45
Hi LS273Stingray (didn’t see your real name) I am watching your blog with interest since I am in the throes of putting an LS3 into my 69. Have not dropped it onto the frame yet. It looked to me like you’d solved the fit of the z-bar and magnaflow exhaust with the stock exhaust manifold. Then you changed your mind, sold it and made a header change! I would like to stick with the stock exhaust so my question is whether you’d finally made it work? I bought the small block exhaust which doesn’t line up as well. Possibly I can work out an exchange with Magnaflow for the exhaust pipe if I knew that that could be made to work. Can it? Any other problems I might want to know about beforehand? Couple of other differences in my car are the Borgeson steering conversion and a Mast LS-conversion oil pan with an Accusump, which will need to be plumbed around the clutch linkage.
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Anonymous05 October, 2011 19:37
Waiting for a new update. Checking on your progress a couple time per week, but you've had a dry spell, which I know how it can be. Did the work or just the writing stop for a bit? Winter is coming and I am sure your wife will want her half of the garage again... Just a "here's where I am.." would be great..
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Anonymous15 June, 2012 17:14
Hope all is OK with you and yours. I know how other obligations can get in the way of extra projects. I check for updates a couple times a week, just wanted to see how progress is going. I just got my frame back two days ago, and will be working to catch up where you are or should I say "were" as of your last update. Just wanted to encourage your efforts, I look forward to the photos and the comments.
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1973 Corvette Project

This blog will chronicle the tale of my '73 Vette project car. I've been a Corvette hobbyist since my first vette, a 1973 silver with black leather interior, L-48, 4 spd coupe. It was my first, and only new, Corvette. Subsequently, I owned a total of seven Corvettes; a '77 coupe, '68 roadster, '80 L48 4spd, '73 coupe, '94 coupe and this '73 project.

It's obvious that the '73 is a favorite of mine. I found this one in an AutoTrader in October of '06. After talking and negotiating via email, I decided to buy it. It was an original BB, 4 spd car with 52,184 miles on the O'meter.

Now this is all according to the guy I bought it from. History of the car:

The seller's uncle bought it from the original owner when it was six months old. He pulled the BB and hot rodded it with a SBC for years, garbaged out the interior by cutting holes in the door panels and rear compartment doors and back of the compartment for speakers. I shouldn't bad mouth him, though. I cut a hole in the passenger side dash panel of my first '73 to mount an eight track (yes, I'm that old!!) player so it would look factory.

Then he passed away and the seller's older brother had it for years until my seller got it. He pulled the SBC but never told me what he did with it. He installed the following: new 4-core radiator, new shocks, new calipers and rotors, new rubber bushings in the suspension (missed the trailing arm mounting and control arm bushings, though), all new heavy duty u-joints, new windshield, and pulled the gas tank and had it cleaned and sealed. It had the CenterLine wheels you see in one of the pictures and the aftermarket hood scoop.

It was located in East Mesa, AZ in a desert suburb of Phoenix and I towed to my house in Flagstaff, a distance of about 160 miles from a elevation of around 1,000' to 7,200'. The trusty old Dakota made it.

The first thing I did was buy a set of '72 stock ralleys, rings, and center caps from a guy on the corvette forum and mounted 234/15 BFG Radial TAs on them. I will eventually put a set of 17x8 Vintage Wheel copies of ARE TorqueThroust Originals on it. I found a stock '75 hood to replace the existing hood w/scoop. When they put the scoop on, they cut a hole in the stock hood for the air cleaner, making it impractical to glass back to original.

Then I towed it on a U-Haul trailer 2,500 miles to CT it with the poor old 2000 Dakota that had 184,000 miles on it.

My plans: My original intent was to put an old school SBC in it. Then I thought about a GMPP Ramjet 350. I just sold a '94 Vette with an LT1 in it that I was going to upgrade to a LT4. I have the LT4 heads, hot cam kit w/1.6 rr, and an LT4 intake that I had the top ribs polished and cleared. So I planned to build an LT4 to drop into the '73. Meanwhile, I'd been watching EBay for LT and LS motors. I've also been following a thread on the corvette forum on LS-C3 conversions.

Well, I bid on on EBay for a LS2 w/5,800 miles on it that was still in the '07 vette, won, started a dialog with the owner, Ray, and started doing more research. Ray just installed a custom built LS7 last week in his '07 and pulled my motor last week and crated it for shipping. I used some FF miles I had to fly to Seattle to see the LS2 and rode in Ray's car. I'm sure Ray will post some info and pics of his new motor and ride.

Ray has been a great guy and a source of a ton of advice on the LS2. I talked to Dan at Vetteworks, the folks at SpeedHound and SuperPowers, Josh, from the corvette forum. Josh and I have pm'd and spoken on the phone about my conversion and he has really been an absolute wealth of information.

I'd like to thank Josh and all the other gear heads who pioneered the LS-C3 conversion and who are making this project a lot less a blind drive like I thought it would be.

I'll install a T56 6 spd, upgrade the suspension and steering, redo the interior (I bought a set of '04 ZO6 black leather searts for it, too), do some minor glass work and try to paint it myself.

Okay, from here on my updates will be on posts. Jump in with comments and suggestions. Any one in the SW CT area who has some knowledge, wrenching skill, cold beer, or the need to supervise, give me a shout - an extra wrench and a torso that can bench press a t56 6 spd are always welcome.