• Got the Contributing Memberships stuff finally worked out and made up a thread as a sort of "How-To" to help people figure out how to participate. So if you need help figuring it out, here's the thread you need to take a look at -> http://www.corvetteflorida.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3581 Thank you, everyone! Rich Z.

427 engine (part 2) - RHS block

Rich Z said:
I SERIOUSLY want a bigger lathe. The little one I got is OK, but working on anything bigger than, say, a bullet projectile, is pushing the limits with it.

Nothing huge, just big enough to not be stymied because it is too small. Actually my biggest hurtle would be just getting it inside the garage and set up on a stand. Even the smaller of the next step up for me is going to be around 250 lbs or better. Connie and I just can't manage that sort of lifting any longer. But I've been thinking of ways around that. Maybe I could use the lift to manhandle it into place off of the back of Connie's truck. I'll have to see how far the lift's arms extend the next time there isn't a car sitting on it.
Click to expand...

Well, I finally found a lathe that I want. Quite a bit bigger than my current baby lathe, but not a huge one. Weighs in at somewhere between 460 and 650 lbs, depending on where you look for that sort of info.

PM-1127VF_01.jpg


It's the smallest lathe I could find with all the options I wanted and the ability to handle anything I think I might want to work on with a lathe in the foreseeable future.

Just picked up a 2 ton shop crane from Harbor Freight today that I need to put together, but there is really no rush as there is likely going to be a 10 to 12 week delay before it is actually shipped. I believe this is a very popular little machine from the reviews I've found.

 
Incidentally, I was having an intermittent problem starting up the car that I believe I fixed. I would generally load in a new tune, and often times when I would start the car afterwards, I would get reduced engine power with service action control messages flashing on the DIC. Sometimes it would go away on a second restart and rarely might take a third or fourth restart before it would go away.

On a hunch, I pulled apart all the wheel sensor connectors, sprayed them down with electronic contact cleaner, and then reseated the connectors a couple of times. Seemed to me this problem started a while back when I had separated the driver's side front connector to reroute the cable and I did not think to disconnect the battery first. So when I started the car up afterwards, I got that same above mentioned error message that went away when I started the car up a second time. So this time I disconnected the battery first before cleaning the connectors, and so far (knock on wood) I haven't had a single reccurence of that problem.
 
Rich Z said:
Incidentally, I was having an intermittent problem starting up the car that I believe I fixed. I would generally load in a new tune, and often times when I would start the car afterwards, I would get reduced engine power with service action control messages flashing on the DIC. Sometimes it would go away on a second restart and rarely might take a third or fourth restart before it would go away.

On a hunch, I pulled apart all the wheel sensor connectors, sprayed them down with electronic contact cleaner, and then reseated the connectors a couple of times. Seemed to me this problem started a while back when I had separated the driver's side front connector to reroute the cable and I did not think to disconnect the battery first. So when I started the car up afterwards, I got that same above mentioned error message that went away when I started the car up a second time. So this time I disconnected the battery first before cleaning the connectors, and so far (knock on wood) I haven't had a single reccurence of that problem.
Click to expand...

Well, so much for that hypothesis. Had the problem come back today while doing some test drives. I was changing tunes while sitting on parking lots and a couple of times after loading the new tune the car would go into "reduced engine power". I would have to keep restarting the car to make it go away.

Now I did notice that the times I get that REP error, that the car was real sluggish starting. So I'm thinking that since this is related to the traction control system which is related to the brake system which is related to the brake booster which is related to vacuum the engine generates, MAYBE the sluggish startup doesn't produce enough vacuum in the engine and the PCM feels that this is a problem. :shrug01: Just guessing, but it does seem to be coincidental.

Along those lines I tried to increase the fuel pulse at startup. Not only increased the pulse, but also reduced the delay programmed in that will keep a second pulse from taking place a certain amount of time from the last pulse. I've noticed that if the car will stall shortly after starting it, it is VERY sluggish trying to restart. Well, come to find out that there was a 10 second delay programmed in keeping that fuel pulse from being triggered again. So I reduced the delay to three seconds and will see how that works.
 
I think it is FINISHED. Just wrapped up the tuning stuff as best I can -> http://www.corvetteflorida.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92956

Car runs REALLY well. Pretty much like stock but with much bigger balls. :D

So, just thinking back at the long and rocky road, here's the timeline.

10-27-2009 - drove the car into Chris Harwood's shop.

09-18-2010 - car was towed to Aaron Scott's shop.

11-17-2011 - drove car home from Aaron Scott's shop.

11-21-2013 - FINISHED fixing the car (I hope!) 4 years and 25 days (and a case of Excedrin) later.
 
You owe yourself a very LARGE PARRRRR-TAY!
I can truthfully say that I'm gonna miss the posts with all of the insights, but
I can also truthfully say that I'm very glad for you that it's finally done.:thumbsup:
Now you can get back to enjoying the "Beast"!
Andy :wavey:
 
Benjamin said:
I think you now need to take the old hard tires and do a nice smokey burnout with them.... and do a video of course....
Click to expand...

It would be my luck that the suckers would explode and break the oil drain lines coming from my turbos with the flying rubber shrapnel....... :ack2:
 
Rich Z said:
It would be my luck that the suckers would explode and break the oil drain lines coming from my turbos with the flying rubber shrapnel....... :ack2:
Click to expand...

you should always focus on the joy of things, not what could happen.

Who has done a burnout and NOT had a smile on their face during and afterwards? not this guy....
 
Benjamin said:
you should always focus on the joy of things, not what could happen.

Who has done a burnout and NOT had a smile on their face during and afterwards? not this guy....
Click to expand...

Truth of the matter is, I never really saw the sense nor the attraction of doing burnouts.

Seriously, what is the attraction?
 
first video the guy is a retard. the second video is careless due to the cars in the road and bystanders.....

I hate living my live with the "what if" in my head,

EVERY vehicle I have had I have either done a burnout in or attempted to do a burnout in. if something breaks, oh well. I'd rather break it now than prolong the inevitable....
 
Benjamin said:
I hate living my live with the "what if" in my head,
Click to expand...

Hah! This whole thread is here because I had the thought, "what if I had a 427 put into my car to replace that LS6?"

It seems to have worked out in the end, but it was touch and go a LOT of times along the trip. Fortunately, I also had the thought, "what if I can tackle most of this crap myself?"
 
navy2kcoupe said:
THERE'S a vanity plate for it Rich!
NGU!
Never Give Up !
Andy :wavey:
Click to expand...

:lmao:

Actually you have NO idea how many times the catch phrase from the movie Galaxy Quest ran through my mind the entire time.

Never give up. Never surrender.
 
My catch phrase is "I AIN'T gonna let this inanimate piece of crap beat me"!
I've used it so much that it's about worn out by now, BUT IT STILL WORKS!
LMAO! :lmao::lmao:
Andy :wavey:
 
Yeah, but in my case I didn't feel like it was the car that was trying to beat me. I felt it was the two jokers, in my opinion, who screwed up my car so badly. Thinking that what THEY did was NOT going to take MY car from me was a pretty powerful driving force in all this. :box: I felt that I was rescuing my car, or more accurately, resurrecting it, from what they did.
 
schpenxel said:
Long time no talk! I'm about 10 pages behind.. how did things turn out? I certainly hope they worked out well
Click to expand...

Pretty darn well, actually. Once I switched to the tuning part of it, I started a new thread here -> http://www.corvetteflorida.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92956

I'm quite pleased how it is driving now. Of course, haven't had it out for a while because of the scattered rain showers here, and the road being pretty messed up for a while.

Thanks for the well wishes. :thumbsup:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top