bb69

For everyone else, Al helped a buddy of mine buy a 69 in Atlanta last year. However, he was unable to have a beer with us when we came down to get the car, because work called. I promised him I would send some good German beer (from Germany, not just a brand), and I have dropped the ball. Well, I drove to Maryland this weekend to get a car (Porsche, not Vette) for another guy and it reminded me that I owe Al some beer. So, by posting here I'm sure you guys won't let me forget to send the beer.

Al,
I didn't forget, I'm just not good about these things some times. Can you please resend your address, and the beer will be on its way. By the way, the Vette Len bought started smoking pretty bad. We have a few ideas still to investigate, but it looks like he might need a rebuild. Oh well, that's the risk you take. Thanks again for the help.

Ken :cheers:

Alwyn678

Al,
I didn't forget, I'm just not good about these things some times. Can you please resend your address, and the beer will be on its way. By the way, the Vette Len bought started smoking pretty bad. We have a few ideas still to investigate, but it looks like he might need a rebuild. Oh well, that's the risk you take. Thanks again for the help.

Ken :cheers: [/QUOTE]

:seeya :seeya Have you narrowed it down to what it is ?? Any knocks or anything? How long after you bought it did it start smoking.....Car seemed to be in really good shape. :confused: .I will e-mail you my information...thanks again

bb69

It started smoking pretty bad the second or third time he drove it. We ran a compression check, and all the cylinders but one were good. The number 1 cylinder is a little low. The other thing we noticed, is that the choke was not hooked up correctly, yet the car would idle perfectly in 25 deg weather. That would sure indicate that it's running very rich. When it warms up a little, we will fix that and see if it helps with the smoke at all. However, to me it seems like the valve stem seals are suspect.

Ken

Alwyn678

Yepthat is exactly what it sounds like to me as well...... I am guesing it is all stock is he gonna modify the car anyway??

bb69

He had planned on rebuilding the engine this winter, but plans changed. Now, I think he will nurse it through this season, and rebuild it at the end of the year. I am trying to convince him to remove all the ignition shielding, put on some headers, and do a mild rebuild good for about 300HP. This will make it much nicer to drive, but he can always put the shielding back on and no one will know the difference.

It's funny, because the guy said he had the heads rebuilt, but not the bottom end. Many people have said that only rebuilding one part of an engine can lead to problems. We won't know for sure until it's apart, but I think this is a good example of what happens when somebody tries to save some money. At least the cost to rebuild is a lot less than doing the same work on a big block. My engine blew a head gasket two months after I bought it because the guy before put pop up pistons in with closed chamber heads. Len won't have to spend nearly the money I did.

Alwyn678

That sounds like a good plan. I rebuilt my top end with new heads, cam ,intake and carb with absolutely no problems whatsoever to the bottom end. Car just runs much stronger..I think he needs to put some performance into the car to really maximize his enjoyment of it. :yesnod:

bb69

I'm guessing your engine was in better shape to start. How many miles did it have on it when you did this? The other possible culprit is a machine shop that didn't machine the valve guides properly.

He definitely needs more performance. When we were doing our compression tests, we noticed that the carb wasn't opening all the way because the carpet was limiting pedal travel. Len was a little embarassed, but also happy he found some free HP. It's supposed to get warm here in the next couple weeks, and then the real fun starts. :yesnod: