69 Camaro Project - Dead Pool

[GregWeld]

I got a good laugh out of Lance's post about you doing the work.... Obviously he isn't tracking for the last decade. LOL


I was on the chassis dyno and the fitting blew out of the rack... took the threads with it. That's the problem with running a REBUILT rack... and aluminum with steel fittings... and who the hell knows the fit on the threads. Might have been galled when the old fitting was removed and took half the threads with it. I bought a BRAND NEW rack to "fix" the problem.

Funny thing about building these cars.... I've buttoned up motors that I've built personally which includes cutting ring gaps etc - and fired 'em up - set the timing and adjust the carb and drove to Reno and back.... and I've had pro built motors that didn't last the week... and pro built motors that never leaked or did anything but work as they should.... I've had two hot rods pro built now - one was a complete hassle and the other was a complete joy. Go figure.

Not all body shops are good mechanics and not many mechanics are good body people... very few have the staffing to have great mechanics and great metal workers and paint people all under one roof... and these cars get taken apart and put back together during the build so many times it's a wonder any of them ever run at all.

Add to this - now we also expect the builders to be a suspension specialists for our PT builds... Oh yeah - and we got the front end from someone and the rear end from somebody else - and then we changed our plan 6 times.

In other words -- welcome to hot rodding.

[SSLance]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

I got a good laugh out of Lance's post about you doing the work.... Obviously he isn't tracking for the last decade. LOL

I typed that part out 3 or 4 different times trying to not offend anyone...and finally just took the high road.

In the end, the car owner IS the only one that has to make sure all the parts and pieces work to his\her liking. It's not a whole lot different than building a house...someone has to make sure all of the sub contractors are getting things done correctly and they'll all tell you, it's not THEIR fault...when things go wrong... Even the general contractor on a job has to be held in check to make sure things get done right.

My brother just had a blow up with a paint shop over the painting of the front fender of his Harley. A simple $275 job turned into a month of mistakes, lies, threats, excuses, more lies, and eventually a customer taking his job out the door, unfinished and unhappy about it. At least an experienced hot rod builder realizes that these things happen and just rolls with the punches.

[Richio1]

Originally Posted by intocarss

You know the old saying...

If It Has Wheels Or A Skirt Ur Gonna Have Problems!! You'll get it sorted out

Ron... sorry to hear about the issues. We've all been there. I was in the same boat when you guys were playing at Sears Point. The bad news is, this will likely not be the only rodeo for you.

But once this is fixed, check it off the list and move on to the next item. My car has been "done" for a year and I have had it in my possession for 6 months. The other 6 has been working out bugs, changing set ups, and swapping out old vendor parts for their new parts. It will be going back in soon for more "tweaking" then we should be done except for some maintenance things annually... unless he talks me into Stack Injection.

You'll get there. Plus it never rains in So Cal so you have nothing to worry about. You can drive it all year long.

[Ron in SoCal]

Originally Posted by 214Chevelle

Wow Ron!! Sorry I don't have any advice to give you as many times as you've answered the phone or returned my calls and gave me great advice. I can offer mental support and say, I hope it gets better. This is just a small hurdle that you will conquer with no problem. Don't worry...fret not, the car will make you proud..

You're too kind Bro

Originally Posted by intocarss

You know the old saying...

If It Has Wheels Or A Skirt Ur Gonna Have Problems!! You'll get it sorted out

Or like Sieg said, or a prop

Originally Posted by GregWeld

I got a good laugh out of Lance's post about you doing the work.... Obviously he isn't tracking for the last decade. LOL


I was on the chassis dyno and the fitting blew out of the rack... took the threads with it. That's the problem with running a REBUILT rack... and aluminum with steel fittings... and who the hell knows the fit on the threads. Might have been galled when the old fitting was removed and took half the threads with it. I bought a BRAND NEW rack to "fix" the problem.

Funny thing about building these cars.... I've buttoned up motors that I've built personally which includes cutting ring gaps etc - and fired 'em up - set the timing and adjust the carb and drove to Reno and back.... and I've had pro built motors that didn't last the week... and pro built motors that never leaked or did anything but work as they should.... I've had two hot rods pro built now - one was a complete hassle and the other was a complete joy. Go figure.

Not all body shops are good mechanics and not many mechanics are good body people... very few have the staffing to have great mechanics and great metal workers and paint people all under one roof... and these cars get taken apart and put back together during the build so many times it's a wonder any of them ever run at all.

Add to this - now we also expect the builders to be a suspension specialists for our PT builds... Oh yeah - and we got the front end from someone and the rear end from somebody else - and then we changed our plan 6 times.

In other words -- welcome to hot rodding.

Originally Posted by SSLance

I typed that part out 3 or 4 different times trying to not offend anyone...and finally just took the high road.

In the end, the car owner IS the only one that has to make sure all the parts and pieces work to his\her liking. It's not a whole lot different than building a house...someone has to make sure all of the sub contractors are getting things done correctly and they'll all tell you, it's not THEIR fault...when things go wrong... Even the general contractor on a job has to be held in check to make sure things get done right.

My brother just had a blow up with a paint shop over the painting of the front fender of his Harley. A simple $275 job turned into a month of mistakes, lies, threats, excuses, more lies, and eventually a customer taking his job out the door, unfinished and unhappy about it. At least an experienced hot rod builder realizes that these things happen and just rolls with the punches.

Lance, you and GW are both right. As much time, money and wrenching as I've spent / done on this car after paint I tried to get it through shops to get it done as quickly as possible. Between work and family that's the best I could do and not have the project take longer. Besides, even that took long enough

And really - as I was telling a good friend the other day - no one cleans your house the way you'd like them to, and no one will be as anal about your car/project/baby as you would like them to. It's just the reality. So us addicts spend more personal time than anyone with a real life should.

Oh and don't worry about offending me. If I was that thin-skinned GW/Dave/Rob/Todd woulda ran me off long ago

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by Ron in SoCal

Oh and don't worry about offending me. If I was that thin-skinned GW/Dave/Rob/Todd woulda ran me off long ago

If we didn't love ya -- we wouldn't bother with you. LOL


This stuff can be so frustrating some times. It shouldn't be - but sometimes it just is.


Here's the part that kills YOU as I know it does me. We're not taking stuff to the cheap quote guys. I don't mind paying whatever it takes to get a top notch job done.... and then you get it home and have to re-do stuff. That's what kills me. Might just as well have taken it to the chop shop!

This whole thing reminds me of when Steve Frisbee's Auto Restoration (SAR) in Portland Oregon charged me $1500 bucks to remove my taillights and paint the black housing white - so that the brake lights would be "brighter".... Of course they'd put them in and built the car to begin with...and now I'm paying him for this kind of work?? But the only thing the taillights needed was an "adjustment" (which I did after they still didn't work) to the bulb holder so they'd make ground contact with the bulb. And this is a Riddler car builder?? OMG.... it's little wonder people go postal!!

[OBeer-WAN-Kenobi]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

Here's the part that kills YOU as I know it does me. We're not taking stuff to the cheap quote guys. I don't mind paying whatever it takes to get a top notch job done.... and then you get it home and have to re-do stuff. That's what kills me. Might just as well have taken it to the chop shop!

That applies to parts as well! I've learned not to bother with the more expensive stuff that's supposed to friggen fit. Sure I go for value if I can but I'm also a cheap-ass and I've been burned so many times that lately I just buy the cheapest stuff. I know it's not going to work anyway, and I'll have to modify it so why pay extra?

[Ron in SoCal]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

If we didn't love ya -- we wouldn't bother with you. LOL


This stuff can be so frustrating some times. It shouldn't be - but sometimes it just is.


Here's the part that kills YOU as I know it does me. We're not taking stuff to the cheap quote guys. I don't mind paying whatever it takes to get a top notch job done.... and then you get it home and have to re-do stuff. That's what kills me. Might just as well have taken it to the chop shop!

This whole thing reminds me of when Steve Frisbee's Auto Restoration (SAR) in Portland Oregon charged me $1500 bucks to remove my taillights and paint the black housing white - so that the brake lights would be "brighter".... Of course they'd put them in and built the car to begin with...and now I'm paying him for this kind of work?? But the only thing the taillights needed was an "adjustment" (which I did after they still didn't work) to the bulb holder so they'd make ground contact with the bulb. And this is a Riddler car builder?? OMG.... it's little wonder people go postal!!

Totally agree Greg. I will say there are certain parts of the build that I'm not going to 'assign' blame for certain issues - other than myself, lol.

When you look at this go-round, it was a breather issue we think. Was it the motor builder, BoS or Mike Norris' catch can design? I think the answer is a resounding NO. The dry sump scavenges well enough. The upper has a breather/catch can but it just wasn't enough. Plus I was using GM valve covers that have really really skinny ports for a factory PCV system, which again I'm not using. The catch can filled up after the first AutoX, and the next spirited drive pressurized the bottom end and sent the rear main out the back. It had nowhere to go.

So what's the fix? I'll either drill and tap a -10 fitting into the valve covers or get new ones and give the top end some better breathing.

The rack? That's a whole 'nother issue.

Other parts of the build? Yes there has been lots of fixing and rework, on my nickel. I'll never see those nickels again.

Thanks for chiming in GW. Oh and I love U2

[Ron in SoCal]

I'm also looking at this:

http://www.metcomotorsports.com/prod...MBR0015%2D10AN

I'll measure when I get back in town and see if it fits.

[efs69]

Ron,

It really sucks going through all this crap. I know what you mean by doing stuff yourself but even then there are issues. I fix one thing and something else shows up. Maybe we can do a wrench party and get it going....lol

I can't remember off hand what valve covers you are running but on mine (Katech) they are tapped for breathers lines that I run to the dry sump breather. So far no issues.

Hang in there.

[David Pozzi]

Originally Posted by Ron in SoCal

Totally agree Greg. I will say there are certain parts of the build that I'm not going to 'assign' blame for certain issues - other than myself, lol.

When you look at this go-round, it was a breather issue we think. Was it the motor builder, BoS or Mike Norris' catch can design? I think the answer is a resounding NO. The dry sump scavenges well enough. The upper has a breather/catch can but it just wasn't enough. Plus I was using GM valve covers that have really really skinny ports for a factory PCV system, which again I'm not using. The catch can filled up after the first AutoX, and the next spirited drive pressurized the bottom end and sent the rear main out the back. It had nowhere to go.

So what's the fix? I'll either drill and tap a -10 fitting into the valve covers or get new ones and give the top end some better breathing.

The rack? That's a whole 'nother issue.

Other parts of the build? Yes there has been lots of fixing and rework, on my nickel. I'll never see those nickels again.

Thanks for chiming in GW. Oh and I love U2

Ron, I'm in favor of using the PCV connection with Mike Norris vapor separator.
I like the 15:1 steering rack and use steel AN fittings with red Loctite. The tiny O rings are fragile and not in an ideal groove setup. I would worry about thread galling with an aluminum an fitting.

I can't stress enough that you should use an inline filter on the steering system. I've had lack of pressure due to a sticking flow valve in the pump that I'm sure was due to a speck of metal jamming it.