Joe65

My name is Joe, I'm 21 and new to the forum. This is my first post. During the spring of 2013 I decided it was time to revive my dad's Goldwood Yellow '65 in that was sitting in our storage garage and get it on the road again...he bought the car in the late 80's as an investment and never used it much (4-5 times a year, max). He eventually lost interest and the car had been sitting/deteriorating for about ten years. To get it on the road I installed new stainless steel o ring front calipers, stainless steel brake hoses (front), new dual master cylinder. I took out the broken heater core which tore up my passenger floor years ago and re routed the radiator hoses. The original paint has a nicks and shows swirling throughout, but I'm in no hurry to paint over it. After I got it inspected I went for a drive and the matching L79 runs OK, but needs a tune-up (misses/backfires) and new fluids, which should be happening in the next week or two. I bought a new HEI distributor with built in 50k coil which is waiting to be installed with new wires on the way. Has anyone installed this type of distributor on a '65 L79? Also the headlights aren't flipping over, although they did flip when I first started the work in the spring. Could this be as simple as a fuse? I know a friend that has a 64 and he had to replace the "headlights" switch for the same problem. There is also a small oil leak which I was told to ignore..?? It was leaking small amounts of brakefluid from the passenger front brake hose which I installed before inspection..I re-tightened this hose and there is no visible leakage but my front master reservoir level still drops (slower than before re-tightening). All help is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.. Will post pics soon

Usafstingray

Joe, welcome to the forum. I'm pretty new to the forum as well, but not at all new to working on cars. The folks here are all quite helpful and knowledgable. Here's one opinion for you...start by figuring out what you've got. What serial number and matching parts? There are many members who are experts in decoding serial numbers for you. post pictures. Corvette restoration can be very expensive if you are trying to keep originality, but you can quickly kill the value of what you might have with aftermarket stuff. If you are on a limited budget, I would focus on the essentials...like brakes, suspension, structural issues, cooling, and then engine performance. While the HEI distributed is nice, it's not really essential. I still run the original distributor with points in my L79...still pushing 365 hp. I'd sort out your brakes...all components need careful inspection, especially calipers. Then, figure out where that oil leak is coming from, then check suspension bushings, check frame structural integrity and fix that fiberglass floor. These cars are old...duh! My point...everything is worn out - bushings, bearings, and seals. Get the car safe first then get the engine in order, then the esthetics.

Boyan

Dont be too quick to change things just to change them. Like said before, you can quickly kill the value of originality. See if there is an NCRS or similar club near you or maybe someone from this forum is close by.

Most often these cars just need a good cleaning and bring up basic maintenance to get them running. Save EVERYTHING you remove from the car.

Dont spend money on an HEI (which probably does not have tach drive) when you can put $30 of parts in the distributor and have ti working.

Your brake fluid is leaking somewhere...you need to find it. Sometimes vacuum boosters suck up a leaking master and run it through the engine.

Boyan

DansYellow66

On the HEI distributor I agree with the above - find a remanufactured original one if necessary or simply rebuild the original. You will have to do a lot of messing with the underhood wiring to put an HEI in it and if the car still has shielding for the distributor, you won't be able to use it anymore. You can put a Petronix electronic conversion kit in it if you don't want to mess wih points.

Headlights could be the up/down switch. It also could be something as simple as the firewall bulkhead connector that is not making contact on a couple circuits. I would use a test light or multi-meter and start tracing power from the switch forward. Check fuses also.

If you haven't already - be sure to get a copy of the GM Service Manual. It will help tremendously.

Good luck.

66CorvetteCoupe

Welcome to the site Joe and I commend you for taking on getting your dads Vette on the road again. These cars are great to work on very simple but can be a little tight to work on in some areas. You probably need to address the carb and fuel lines to if it has sat for a while and she should run like new when done. As far as the HEI is concerned and you are set on going that route be sure you buy one with the tach drive as they do make them that way I have one on my 63 and it works fantastic car starts instantly hot or cold. Post up some pics the first chance you have we all like to look at each others cars. Good luck with your project and you will get tons of info here and you will get a bunch of these on the road:

67's

Welcome, I would check the rubber lines to the calipers, you are probably weeping fluid there, they wear out, and after sitting that long, yours probably have.

Joe65

I know what you mean from the originality/NCRS standpoint, but I dont think this car is ALL original. I did look at the vin number and it is the original block and original paint. I also know that the engine was rebuilt at some point, the seller included a note with the car stating "engine rebuilt- 5,000 mi." ? I would think 105,000, but the broken odometer reads 17,947...so maybe it was a racer? The note also states that the suspension and interior were both replaced at some point. The shocks look like KYB all around. The car has factory side pipes. I looked for numbers on the trans and got confused. Also looked for numbers on the rear but could not find any...positive it's geared 4:11. Shifter is 4 speed hurst comp. Replaced single reservoir master cylinder with dual reservoir to make the car safer to drive (kept old master). I did not replace rear calipers or rear rubber hoses as they seem to be OK for now, but will do in the near future (fall/winter project). Replaced both front calipers with rebuilt SS o-ring style from CorvetteCentral, sent my old cores back. Put new pads on front and converted front rubber hoses to SS (kept old ones). My leak was the front passenger because I could see a small amount on the floor/tire. I re- tightened the SS hose as i read that they can be a pain to seal properly and since then the leak is nowhere near as bad as it was before (a few drops per day with NO evidence of fluid on the floor or tire). Ignition shielding was removed at some point. The distributor I bought from ebay is still in the box...I thought i would choose this route because I didn't want to play around with the points and it was cheaper than buying the pertronix unit ($50 for distributor with built in 50k coil) and a friend of mine has been using the same type on his cars with no problems. No, this distributor does not have tach drive, but my tach doesn't work anyway. Will possibly return HEI this week after I see my mechanic again.. I can see that the tach cable is not hooked up to the distributor (just hanging there) and I'm not sure if it is hooked up to the gauge cluster or not (can't see past firewall)...suggestions?? thanks for your help!

ps is there any way to upload photos from a mobile phone onto this forum?

Joe65

I have both the GM and Chilton's Shop Manuals and I save the receipts for every part that I've put on the car....Here is the text from the memo that came with the car when it was purchased in the 80's...I have not talked to any of the previous owners about the car (but would like to): "65 Vette- 2 tops- black soft and yellow h.top; 327 rebuilt 5,000 miles; 4-Speed Hurst; Inside New; All new bumpers chrome; Gas tank, pipes, muffler, wheels, hubcaps; new tires & alignment & bal RADIALS; New shocks, suspension; New body parts, panels; New rubber around doors; Very few rattles for a vette. No holes in dash, original am/fm, power antenna. Engine # matches."

Usafstingray

Talking to previous owners...huh? Won't help. The shop manual, Nolan Adams, and the NCRS book is the better choice. Original motor and paint are a good enough reason to stay as original as you can. If you keep the car and want to do a complete restoration some day, you'll be happy you started that way. Long term thinking pays off when restoring on a limited budget.

Joe65

Hey guys, sorry for the delay (needed a new SD card for my camera). Went to Walmart today and bought one (employee took appx 30 min to unlock it from the shelf ) Here are some pics of the car, its trim tag, and VIN #.
The car hasn't been moved in almost a week...turns out that there were two brake fluid leaks..one was from the passenger front hose (tightened and fixed) current is leaking from the proportioning valve or the master cylinder itself...you can see a small amount on the floor in this picture:
Rigged hose..
Bad touch ups..
Tach cable hanging out...

JohnZ

None of your photos show up, nor do they open when clicked on - just get a rotating clock icon.

Joe65

Weird...followed instructions, and it took about 40 min if not longer. Any suggestions??

VetteRed1965

make sure you copy from the img to img file

Joe65

Vettered, do you mean [IMG]http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c1-and-c2-corvettes/c1-and-c2-corvettes/c1-and-c2-corvettes/c1-and-c2-corvettes/c1-and-c2-corvettes/http//.................[IMG]?? except with a forward slash before the last "IMG"? Using photobucket.

Nev Williams

Joe
On Photobucket library page, under the image you will see 4 options offered for pasting link.

Just right click on small box to left of IMG and choose copy.
Then paste that into your CF message for each image.

Joe65

Thanks, trying it now

Joe65

Trim tag:
VIN:
Misc. pics:

Joe65

Joe65

If you want more pics just let me know what you want me to snap! Thanks again VetteRed!

Joe65

PS topped off oil today as it was about halfway between the bottom of the stick and the notch in the stick. I accidentally overfilled, probably 1/4 inch above the notch. Is it ok to run, or should i drain? If i should drain, how far would I be able to drive the car with this much oil without damaging engine parts? I read that you can do damage if the oil foams up.