Now we have 2 Small blocks in the family.

[Jimmy]

Just put down a deposit for the next project. Driving 6hr to Canberra Tuesday to check it out.

Will be alot slower than the boat, I'll probably just want to enjoy this one and do bits on it as it needs it.

1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS Yenko Tribute
(Fake it till u make it)

Original Malibu V8 factor Air conditioned car.
Was originally gold car with Black Vinyl roof.
Good solid body, very good for age with virtually no rust.

The Good:
Has had crate 350 installed with headers, Edelbrock manifold and carby, chrome dress up goodies and runs great.
Power steer, air conditioning compressor (never connected) alternator and water pump all run on serpentine belt.

TH350 auto has been rebuilt and shifts great.
Aluminium radiator with electric fan fitted, and all in good condition.

Front suspension has CPP tubular control arms fitted with new springs and shocks. New 500 series CPP power steering box fitted along with all new steering parts.
Tilt adjustable Column

Boosted four wheel disc brakes fitted with factory rear end and coil over helper shock absorbers fitted in rear.
All work engineered and car is on full rego.

All original import approval docs and engineers report comes with car.
Car comes with original Rally wheels with new GT radials along with a set of 18" and 20" Boss wheels with Bridgestone Potenza tyres fitted

The Bad:
The paint Cheapo job done by someone else and needs to be properly done.

Body is good and solid everywhere so not a lot of work needed.
Bucket seat interior and carpets all a bit tired and the dash could do with some sorting.
Has had a power window conversion done and although they work ok I would replace with OEM STYLE power window kit.
Wiring could do with a tidy up but everything works


[video=youtube;ubyBTOGs9r8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubyBTOGs9r8[/video]

 

[YoPengo]

Hell yeah... Nice [emoji1303]

 

[SBMech]

Looks great! :thumbsup

 

[Jimmy]

What do u look for when u do an inspection?
Walk me through a thoughr inspection.
What tools would u take with u?

 

[Cray Paper]

Biggest thing to look for is rust. That car has some. The paint is toast, the bondo on the hood (middle near the front) that popped up and the chunk of paint missing on the right side rear quarter inside the trunk would be good indicators as to how the car was prepped for paint. It's a cool car, but not worth big money. Sounds like it has header leaks as well from the video. Engine has a really mild cam as well and it's a small block. I'm guessing a mild 300 ish HP crate, if it doesnt have Vortec heads it will need heads and a cam to wake it up. 10 bolt or 12 bolt rear diff? TH 350 or TH 400? The AC vents look weird, didnt see an aftermarket AC system in the engine bay?

What are you looking to spend on this car in US dollars? It doesnt look bad, but the price would determine if it's worth buying.

 

[Jimmy]

Biggest thing to look for is rust. That car has some. The paint is toast, the bondo on the hood (middle near the front) that popped up and the chunk of paint missing on the right side rear quarter inside the trunk would be good indicators as to how the car was prepped for paint. It's a cool car, but not worth big money. Sounds like it has header leaks as well from the video. Engine has a really mild cam as well and it's a small block. I'm guessing a mild 300 ish HP crate, if it doesnt have Vortec heads it will need heads and a cam to wake it up. 10 bolt or 12 bolt rear diff? TH 350 or TH 400? The AC vents look weird, didnt see an aftermarket AC system in the engine bay?

What are you looking to spend on this car in US dollars? It doesnt look bad, but the price would determine if it's worth buying.

P.m

Thats the feed back I was looking for.
Give me some ammo to talk him down.

 

[Sharp Shooter]

P.m

Thats the feed back I was looking for.
Give me some ammo to talk him down.

The video was taken down so going by the pictures it doesn't look too bad. I'm a sucker for blue Chevelles and '69 is a great year! :thumbup: I don't know what your end goal is, but the first thing I would do is tell him to keep the Boss wheels and drop the price accordingly. I would also tell him the serpentine doesn't belong there especially if the car is supposed to resemble an SS or Yenko. I would also negotiate the price down if the rear end is a 10 bolt instead of a 12.

Crawl under the car and check for wreck repairs and rust regardless of what the seller says and look real close around the lower rear window area.

The car looks nice in the pictures and could be made into whatever you like, but it gets real expensive real fast with these projects. Good luck whatever happens and keep us posted! :thumbup:

 

[Jimmy]

The video was taken down so going by the pictures it doesn't look too bad. I'm a sucker for blue Chevelles and '69 is a great year! [emoji106] I don't know what your end goal is, but the first thing I would do is tell him to keep the Boss wheels and drop the price accordingly. I would also tell him the serpentine doesn't belong there especially if the car is supposed to resemble an SS or Yenko. I would also negotiate the price down if the rear end is a 10 bolt instead of a 12.

Crawl under the car and check for wreck repairs and rust regardless of what the seller says and look real close around the lower rear window area.

The car looks nice in the pictures and could be made into whatever you like, but it gets real expensive real fast with these projects. Good luck whatever happens and keep us posted! [emoji106]

Cant be anymore of a money pit than the boat [emoji23]

Edit: Those boss rims would go good on the boat trailer.

 

[Sharp Shooter]

Cant be anymore of a money pit than the boat [emoji23]

That's for sure!!!!!!!

A lot of people base their decisions on investment potential. I get that to a point, but for some things I think the fun is worth the financial pain.

 

[Jimmy]

Me n the old man made the trip up to Canberra.
Must be beer'o'clock.
Catch up with the guy in the morning.

 

[Jimmy]

So it didnt quite fit on the car trailer the exhaust was bellying out on the trailer ramps so i drove the old girl 400mile home.

 

[Jimmy]

It didnt skip a beat till I got it home and let the wife drive it around the block and it decided to dump its contents of powersteering fluid all over the drive way.

I've chase around a new hose today so should be good for the weekend.

 

[Jimmy]

It did come with air con coils but it needs hooking up.
I gotta look into it abit apparently its not fully converted from the old R22 gas to R-410A... or something.

Main thing at the moment is get it registered in my name and it doesn't seem to have a thermostat it was running 140 the whole way home.

I through those boss rims on ebay theyre way too big for the boat trailer and they look pox on the car.

 

[Jimmy]

Its insured and on the road.
Being trying to get a spray painter to have a look to see what can be done about the clear coat.

 

[Jimmy]

One thing that Ive noticed theres no stubbie holders.

 

[Jimmy]

Went on a cruise with the local car club made it onto the website.

http://www.customaddictions.com.au/club-cruise-to-trentham-221017.html

 

[Jimmy]

So ive just hit a pot hole in the road and tore a tennis ball size hole in the aluminium sump.
I'll get more picks tomorrow, its at a mates having a sleep over.

 

[Jimmy]

Got it home, parked her up. Its probably where it'll stay for a while.
Its a radiator, engine, gearbox out job to replace the sump pan and aint nobody got time for that.

 

[Taboma]

Damn, that's nasty, hopefully you got it shut-down quick enough. That car doesn't appear to ride that low, must have been one hell of a pot hole. Surprised you didn't break a wheel or blow a tire. Thanks for sharing the link, that place is beautiful !!

 

[Jimmy]

Damn, that's nasty, hopefully you got it shut-down quick enough. That car doesn't appear to ride that low, must have been one hell of a pot hole. Surprised you didn't break a wheel or blow a tire. Thanks for sharing the link, that place is beautiful !!

It was more of a harsh dip in the road.
I'll get it on the stand and take a few bearing caps off n have a look.
See what the bank account looks like might do a bit while its out, might mean it outta action for a extra month or two.
I didnt realize how expensive a set of heads with all the shit on them was.

 

[Jimmy]

So it begins.
Pulled all the accessories and radiator out the other day but got busy on the boat so did quite finish it.
Should have the engine on a stand to see what damage I've done by tomorrow.

 

[Jimmy]

Took alot of spitting 'n' swearing but its out. 6hrs in 100F heat.

 

[Jimmy]

I did a good job of it!
I've stripped it down to a bare block and assessed what we've got and she is stock as a rock.
2 bolt main 010
333882 heads (best of the worst stock heads)
Cam doesnt have any stamps on it so its a bit of a unknown.

So im not sure what im ganna do.

 

[4Waters]

That is why you don't use cast pans. If you have Isuzu trucks like this the 350cid engines are a 1 piece rear main seal 4 bolt Main block.

I wonder why it didn't load a pic I'll try again.

 

[Jimmy]

This is what im thinking. Its pretty close to what we're chasing.
https://www.skipwhiteperformance.co...tage-20-crate-motor-505-hp-base-engine_85792/

Does it have too much cam?

 

[4Waters]

This is what im thinking. Its pretty close to what we're chasing.
https://www.skipwhiteperformance.co...tage-20-crate-motor-505-hp-base-engine_85792/

Does it have too much cam?

What rear gears do you have and do you have a stall converter?

 

[Dalton]

theres a company called "blueprint engines" also that has similar engines

 

[4Waters]

That chevelle is weighing in at around 3400lbs, I would put 3.55 in the rear and a 2000 stall converter or convert it to a 4 or a 5 speed since it's going to spend most of its time on the street. If it were going to be primarily a track car I would put 4.11 and a 3000 stall. That TH350 won't be happy behind that 383 unless someone has put a decent amount of money into a rebuild, if you want to stay with an auto step up to a TH400.

 

[Jimmy]

That chevelle is weighing in at around 3400lbs, I would put 3.55 in the rear and a 2000 stall converter or convert it to a 4 or a 5 speed since it's going to spend most of its time on the street. If it were going to be primarily a track car I would put 4.11 and a 3000 stall. That TH350 won't be happy behind that 383 unless someone has put a decent amount of money into a rebuild, if you want to stay with an auto step up to a TH400.

Na its just something to drive to the shops in
Next swing I've got off work I'll suss out what we've got as far as drivetrain.
Transmission has been rebuilt, whats been rebuilt I've got no idea nor did the owner I bought it off.

Anyone know of any tell tails signs that someones put any kits through a th350.

theres a company called "blueprint engines" also that has similar engines

I was looking at them, Jecs, Summit.
Something like this would be alright. Similar torque and I can use some stuff off the old engine.
https://blueprintengines.com/products/gm383-base-aluminum-roller

At this stage I'm just dreaming, will be July before I decide on anything. Just have to get it going and fix the paint on the roof before christmas.
Got a mates wedding on Jan 5th next year.

 

[Ouderkirk]

For a car like that I would consider the ZZ350 crate engine from GM Performance. It is a solid motor with a good warranty. X2 on the TH400 if you're going automatic. I'm a stick guy in a hot rod. 5-speed OD with 3.55 gears in a 10 or 12 bolt.

 

[FreeBird236]

I was always a Turbo 400 guy, sure seems that engine builder was making a good case for the TH350.

 

[Jimmy]

I had a look at what it would take to put a stage 2 "kit" the term "kit" seems loosely used as it ranged from USD $970-2300.
We've got a good transmission shop in town so i'll see what he thinks later this week.
The th400 may be a lil dearer by the time you buy a new one or give a second hand one a birthday and change the drive shaft as they're shorter.

I was always a Turbo 400 guy, sure seems that engine builder was making a good case for the TH350.

vvvvvv For everyone elses reference vvvvvv
TH350: Best transmission choice, hands down.

Pros

• Excellent gear spread between all three gears.
  
• Very low cost to build up to various levels of power handling.
  
• Can be built up to extreme power handling capabilities.
  
• Most all transmission shops are capable of building these to at least level 1 or 2.
  
• No TV cable to deal with.
  
• Stall converters are low in cost, and the selection is broad.
  
• Very reliable and simple to repair if needed.
  

Cons

• None, simply none! Select a final gear that will allow you the best overall performance and one that allows a decent off the line acceleration, and one that will be in a tolerable rpm range at highway speed. You must have the correct stall converter for optimal performance. This can make a huge difference in the way your vehicle accelerates.
  
• These are becoming scarce, but there are still plenty of them around, and high performance parts are easily obtained.
  
• You may have to go through this long story to your less than knowledgeable friends as to why you didn't choose a 700R4, and when you explain it to them, they may still think you don't know what you're talking about.
  

TH400
Pros

• Excellent gear spread. Very similar to a TH350.
  
• Strong internal parts.
  
• Reliable.
  
• Simple to build or repair to stock buildup levels.
  

Cons

• Very expensive to build up to higher power handling levels, as compared to a TH350. The TH350 has far more high performance parts available at reasonable costs. The 400 trans. is not a practical choice.
  
• Internal rotating parts (cast iron drum) are very heavy and create a huge drag compared to most any other trans., and this is not a subtle amount of drag. The TH400 is well known to be a heavier duty trans. than a TH350 but this heavy duty factor was designed more for heavy vehicles that may encounter pulling heavy loads. Only the largest of the GM cars weighing around 5000 lbs had these trans. in them, along with heavy duty pickups, usually 3/4 ton or larger trucks. Even the half ton Chevy trucks didn't come with these in them.
  
• They will certainly hold up better than a stock built TH350, but they are not a desirable trans. for a street rod. You can build a TH350 to level two that would be superior to any stock TH400 in every way for about the same cost. Building a TH400 to a high hp handling level will cost a great deal of money.
  
• You will never see this trans in a true Pro-Street car.

 

[Jimmy]

That chevelle is weighing in at around 3400lbs, I would put 3.55 in the rear and a 2000 stall converter or convert it to a 4 or a 5 speed since it's going to spend most of its time on the street. If it were going to be primarily a track car I would put 4.11 and a 3000 stall. That TH350 won't be happy behind that 383 unless someone has put a decent amount of money into a rebuild, if you want to stay with an auto step up to a TH400.

Diffs roughly 3:1
And its a 13" torque converter which from what google says is a fairly low stall.
Only markings it had is this.

Im going to go talk to my engine guy and transmission guy this afternoon to see what we can do.

 

[Jimmy]

So got a rough quote from the engine builder and he come in at a good price, bit more than a crate engine but I know hes good at what he does.
Similar build to what skip white was offering.

We gotta re-use the old 2 bolt block, edelbrock performer intake and 600cfm carb.
Yeah I know not ideal but its what we've got.
Can just tune the 600 carb for now then go bigger later.
The rest of the engines going straight on ebay.

Transmission guy said the 350 will handle it but will need some money spent on it.

Got a few jobs in the mean time to do.
Need to check the wiring, respray the engine bay, rebush the door hinges, fix the power windows.

 

[4Waters]

So got a rough quote from the engine builder and he come in at a good price, bit more than a crate engine but I know hes good at what he does.
Similar build to what skip white was offering.

We gotta re-use the old 2 bolt block, edelbrock performer intake and 600cfm carb.
Yeah I know not ideal but its what we've got.
Can just tune the 600 carb for now then go bigger later.
The rest of the engines going straight on ebay.

Transmission guy said the 350 will handle it but will need some money spent on it.

Got a few jobs in the mean time to do.
Need to check the wiring, respray the engine bay, rebush the door hinges, fix the power windows.

Just girdle the main's and you should be good.

 

[Jimmy]

Just chipping away at pulling the front apart for a respray.
Its slow going lifes been busy.

Only found one holy panel.

Someone has slapped the panels back on at some stage because theres bolts missing and/or they've used selftapping screws... doesnt matter we'll get her sorted out.

 

[Jimmy]

Im stuck at work on a public holiday so I've dedicated majority of it and 80% phone battery to "What can I do to the car"

At the moment we've got a 600cfm edelbrock carb which will be a bit undersized but will do for the interim.

Then today I found these
http://www.hotrod.com/articles/car-crafts-giant-efi-test/

 

[Jimmy]

What would u call this panel?
Id call it fucked but if I were to replace it what would I be looking for?

 

[4Waters]

What would u call this panel?
Id call it fucked but if I were to replace it what would I be looking for?
View attachment 633699 View attachment 633700

Here you go.

 

[Jimmy]

Here you go.
View attachment 633703

Hmmm yeah that looks like thats the one, it would be easier to weld that one in and get square.
It looks like it can come in 3 panels.

But ya right something like this.

 

[Jimmy]

Till tomorrow

 

[Jimmy]

Photos are a bit all over the place but u get the idea.

 

[ka0tyk]

All I hear is your credit card screaming from those pics. haha. great work getting it sorted out. one little thing snowballs into a whole front end restoration. at what point did you think "ok i gotta stop taking things apart..." ?

 

[Jimmy]

All I hear is your credit card screaming from those pics. haha. great work getting it sorted out. one little thing snowballs into a whole front end restoration. at what point did you think "ok i gotta stop taking things apart..." ?

No credit card scam here its all cash money, I think it stopped at the fire wall with this one lol

It needed it, I wasn't going to put a new donk in there and not make the rest of it look good.
Where I'm at is i need someone in town that'll balance and swap the yoke and u-joints over to something a bit more heavier.

 

[Jimmy]

Its been a bit slow going but we're getting somewhere

Starting to have issues getting things to fit with the taller valve covers.
Originally had a 11 inch break booster, had to drop it down to a 9 inch.

The air conditioner box was a good 1" from being close to fitting. So i got creative.

And cut a section out and refiberglassed it back in and added a bit of a dished out part.

Also swapped out the old R12 refrigerant stuff with R134 gear.

It mightn't look like much but it took me 2 days to get those quarters to look ok.
I had to get a new aftermarket passengers side inner fender because the original had heaps of rust under where the battery went and I'm having a bitch of a time getting some of the holes to match up on it.

I bought a second hand 12 bolt rear end last year from a dude in St Louis Missouri.
I organised pick up for it on the 4th of November and its finally going to hit Melbourne this week... apparently.

 

[Ouderkirk]

This is what im thinking. Its pretty close to what we're chasing.
https://www.skipwhiteperformance.co...tage-20-crate-motor-505-hp-base-engine_85792/

Does it have too much cam?

If you're in this deep.... go big block.

I wouldn't put another dime into that 350. Sell what I could and get a 454.

 

[Headless hula]

Looking good man!

 

[4Waters]

If you're in this deep.... go big block.

I wouldn't put another dime into that 350. Sell what I could and get a 454.

Look at it again, it's a 468.

 

[82daytona]

Lookin good jimmy [emoji1320]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DaveH]

how di you get around not converting to right hand drive? all the American trucks ive seen over there had to be converted.