lbell101

Hey All!

This forum looks fantastic. I could have saved ALOT of trial and error work had I found it months ago!
Got a couple generic C3 questions.
Was cruise control an option in '71? And did they ever offer it with manual transmission? Seems that might make it kinda unworkable.

The previous owner installed headers on my Vette. They are the first set I've ever run as I'm kinda a fan of originality. Everybody tells me they are high quality units but I have to bring it in for monthy exhaust leak fixing. This is mostly at the flanges. Is this normal? What's the fix here?

My floor on the passenger side gets wet when it rains. I've done a pretty thorough search for obvious areas. Is there any well known solution for the problem. I can't believe mine would be the only one to do it!

Thanks for the help!

Larry Bell
Michigan http://www.larryscars.com/71vette.html

tnt76vette

Cruz Control was not an option till '77....Locking header bolts (Stage 8's) will solve your header prob....Cant help ya with your water prob, but I'm sure others will. :D :seeya :flag


[Modified by tnt76vette, 2:50 PM 11/10/2001]

tnt76vette

Cruz Control was not an option till '77....Locking header bolts (Stage 8's) will solve your header prob....Cant help ya with your water prob, but I'm sure others will. BTW I'm near Flint, are you close by? :D :seeya :flag

Pedro'74

I think a good set of cooper or aluminum gaskets, such as Fel-Pro or Percy's, and good bolts (ARP or Stage 8) will solve the header leak problem.

As for the water leak, there are two common problems which are very simple to solve. First, water may be coming from the side vent, which would indicate that the water drain inside the vent is clogged. So you'll have to remove the door sill plate, remove the kick panel, remove the vent door, and reach with your hand inside the "black hole" and remove whatever may be clogging the drain. Second, water may be coming through the kick panel screw hole. In my case there was a lot of water coming through that hole (even with the screw in there), and my solution was to seal the hole completely and trash the screw (which is useless, and a pain to install). If it's not one of these two alternatives, then you may have a cowl leak, which can be hard to find and may be difficult to cure....

Hope this helps some...

-Pedro

theanswriz42

Welcome to the forum :) :seeya

70L46

Another possibility for the water is from the windshield. The original adhesive has long since dried out, and it is very common for water to leak in past the windshield. This is why windhield frame rust is such a problem on these cars. Climb inside and have someone start spraying your car with a hose, you should be able to figure out where it's getting in.

Welcome to the forum and enjoy your car :seeya


[Modified by 70L46, 3:50 PM 11/10/2001]

Pedro'74

Yeah, that's basically how I found my leaks. I sprayed water while my helper, the 6 yo who used to live next door, was inside, under the dash, observing everything. I also had the kick panels out and no carpet when I did that, and that really helped. Besides the two problems I mentioned above, I also found a cracked floor, which also seems to be a pretty common problem.

-Pedro

lbell101

WOW!!

Thanks for the fast replies, they are much appreciated!
I bet I'm using just regular bolts on the exhaust - that's probably the problem.
Now I've gotta go recriut a 'hose holder' so I can find the leak - might not be easy, it's only 40 degrees out there. I don't think I put the screw back in the kick panel so maybe that's it.

TNT - I'm about 6 hours from you up in Escanaba - in the UP. About 2 hours north of Green Bay.

Thanks again!

Larry http://www.larryscars.com/71vette.html

Pedro'74

Wow, Larry, that's quite a collection you got there! In particular, the '60 Impala is a beauty!

-Pedro

lbell101

Thanks Pedro!

I wish I could have kept them all. I wasn't sure when I put up the site if I should call it "Larrys Cars" or "Where All My Cash Went".

lbell101

Updateing...

Got the new exhaust gaskets and installed with good bolts. Sounds good now but the real test is if it will last!

Using the hose technique and removing the passenger side of my dash, I found the leakage problem. I was a cowl leak through a factory joint. It was coming in much worse than I thought! It was also compounded by some leaves and crap blocking the drain holes - still drained just not fast enough.
I sealed the seam using windshield adhesive on the bottom. The top is hard to reach but I managed to get a small tube in there connected to a bottle of epoxy resin. I squirted the entire top of the seam with the resin. Seems to be working!

Thanks to all for the advice!

Larry http://www.larryscars.com/71vette.html