Buinicorn my 1964 wagon

Discussion in 'Drag'n Wagons' started by superbuickguy, May 21, 2017.

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  1. superbuickguy

    superbuickguy Well-Known Member

    Lest you think I've forgotten - these showed up on my doorstep today
    [​IMG]
    not perfect, but a whole lot better then the ones on the car...
     
  2. elagache

    elagache Platinum Level Contributor

    Dear SuperBuickGuy and V-8 Buick longroof fans,

    Glad you are continuing to make progress! Keep chuggin' . . . . :)

    Cheers, Edouard
     
  3. superbuickguy

    superbuickguy Well-Known Member

    I got them from a member (President?) of the NW chapter of the Buick club - my goodness does he have some sweet rides. Heck of a nice guy too, but that's true of anyone who loves Buicks :)
     
  4. superbuickguy

    superbuickguy Well-Known Member

    Not forgotten, I'm just about to start back in.... title issue seems resolved; once I have it in my hand I'll see what I can do about making a drag-week-worthy sleeper.
     
  5. Smokey15

    Smokey15 So old that I use AARP bolts.

    Just discovered this thread. Interesting. Now I just have to keep watching the progress.
     
  6. superbuickguy

    superbuickguy Well-Known Member

    I met the guy, today, whose name is on the title. What a trip. He's up in Washington to work clearing trees and make money for his ministry in California. Wait, whut? Let's back up, I'm building this car as a tribute to a Pastor who meant a great deal to me (and baptized me when I was in 8th grade). This car is so similar to what he had and would buy - of course, he'd never put a warm V6 in it, but he'd buy the V6.... so all is good. This guy had owned the car for 19 years before he sold it to the kid I bought it from. He bought it from his dad who bought it new. Yes, I'm the 2nd owner because kid never registered it in his name. To further confuse, his dad bought it for his wife who hated it, so he drove it.... then his son. Who sold it to go into ministry - otherwise he would have kept it.

    Now I can start working on the car.

    Oh and a side note. He said in our conversation that he always drove it conservatively. Later he explained that his ex-wife was the one who broke the front windshield out. As an aside, I have talked to a couple people who remember getting stomped by this car 'back in the day'..... conservatively... lol. The kid never drove the car, this guy was the one who put the posi-locked, 4.10 Buick rear in it..... oh those silly pastors.
     
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  7. superbuickguy

    superbuickguy Well-Known Member

    Don't mind me, just storing some ideas
    BLOCK
    [​IMG]
    231 cubic inch Stage II off center block. 0.030" overbore. Standard prep work. Installed bronze liners in the lifter bores to ensure perfect alignment. Holes drilled and tapped in the front of the block for gear drive installation.
    Click on the picture for a full size view.

    CRANK Scat forged 3.4" stroke. With the .030 overbore, gives 234 cubic inches
    RODS Cunningham 6.5"
    PISTONS JE Forged
    RINGS Speed Pro File to Fit
    Oil pan and Pickup Duttweiler deep pan and custom pickup
    Flywheel JW SFI spec.
    Starter Tilton Mini
    Front Cover Factory, modified to clear gear drive.
    Oil Pump Factory with long gears and wear plate. No oil cooler.
    Balancer ATI SFI spec with factory crank rings installed
    Alternator Factory, mounted low on drivers side of engine compartment utilizing custom brackets made by myself. Moroso pulley.
    Crank Pulley Single pulley from a BBC
    Water Pump Factory
    Water Pump Pulley Factory pulley from a NA 231" motor.
    Radiator Factory '81 Regal (smaller than a TR)
    Gear Drive Milodon
    Cam Comp Cams Roller. Roller cams come with an odd fire nose that must be cut off and machined to accept a bronze drive gear for the cam sensor and the cam gear for the gear drive. The thrust of the cam is set by spacing out the torrington thrust bearing that rests against the back side of the front cover. The cam rests in the gear drive by a torrington bearing.
    Duration @ 0.050" lift: 244 degrees intake and exhaust

    Duration @ 0.050" lift: 288 degrees intake and exhaust

    Gross valve lift: 0.586" intake and exhaust

    Lobe Separation: 111 degrees

    Lifters Crane roller
    Pushrods Custom
    Heads First batch of M&A aluminum heads from early '92, extensively ported and polished. Machined to accept spring cups.
    I had the heads flowed at 28" of vacuum. The intake ports flowed in the 238-243 cfm range. The exhaust ports flowed in the 200-205 cfm range.

    Valves and springs 1.97 intake and 1.60 exhaust valves. Comp Cams 200 lb. closed springs with custom made titanium retainers.
    Rockers Rollers that came with M&A heads, modified to clear larger springs.
    Valve Covers M & A
    Intake and Doghouse Factory ported and polished. EGR Tower cut and epoxied. EGR valve replaced with a block off plate for appearance (ala fuel pump block off).
    Fuel Rail Factory, with a 8AN fitting welded on the supply side.
    Injectors MSD 72 lb./hr.
    Fuel System 8 gallon Jaz fuel cell with a single Weldon fuel pump. The pump cost a fortune, but the plumbing and wiring were so simple because I used only one pump. I went this route on the advice of Duttweiler, who's opinion was that if a single pump in a single system fails, the engine stops. When a pump fails in a multi pump system, the motor goes lean and destructs. 1/2" fuel line with a 3/8" return line.
    Ignition System Factory with Magnacore plug wires
    Plugs AC FR2LS @ tight .035"
    Computer DFI with a stand alone wiring harness I made myself.
    Headers Hooker
    Turbo Precision TE-69
    Wastegates Two Deltagates, set at 28 lbs.
    Intercooler Spearco Air to Water. I used a 4 gallon upright Jaz fuel cell mounted in the original location of the battery for icewater. I used a Rule 600 GPH bilge pump to circulate the water through Sears black garden hose to the intercooler. Very slick. I'll bet the whole intercooler setup cost me $750.
    Air Filter K&N 15" long with a 4" outlet. I used a Ford truck hose from the air filter to the turbo. The air filter was mounted in the same location as anyone else's K&N.
    Downpipe Custom made by myself using sections of 3" pipe from any auto parts store.
    Exhaust I made my own 4" system that exited in front of the right rear tire using a 4" center in/out Flowmonster.
    Transmission/Drive Train/Chassis
    Torque Converter
    Art Carr 4000 stall 9"
    Transmission TH-400 by Jimmy's Transmissions. Can't say enough about his work. Superb. I used an Art Carr Transbrake.
    Shifter B&M Megashifter, then a Dixie Air shifter.
    Driveshaft Custom with HD Spicer 1350 U-joints.
    Rear End Ford 9" with 35 spline axles from Moser. Aluminum center section with 3.89:1 gears and spool from Currie.
    Brakes Front: Stock Rear: Wilwood Disc Master cylinder kit from Art Morrison (manual)
    Wheels and Tires Front: Weld Draglite 15" x 3.5" with Moroso skinnies.
    Rear: Weld Draglite 15" x 8" with 29.5 x 10.5" Mickey Thompson slicks

    Steering Manual box from a junkyard somewhere in Massachusetts (thanks Pete B!) out of an El Camino.
    Front Suspension All brand new pieces (ball joints, tie rods, drag link, etc.) with Carerra 90:10 shocks. No swaybar.
    Rear Suspension I raced the car in '93 with the factory suspension (boxed uppers and SouthSide lowers) and got a best 60' of 1.38. The car was a handful to drive. Launch too soft, the car would push left.
    Launch too hard, the car would push right. Over the '93/'94 winter, I installed a ladder bar kit from Art Morrison, and this solved all my launching problems. I could run the car without making any steering corrections whatsoever. The car was like an arrow. Best 60' with the ladder bars: 1.36.

    Frame Notched rear frame rails.
    Roll cage 10 point kit from Art Morrison.
    Body All steel panels and factory glass windows except for fiberglass bumpers and Lexan sheet in place of factory Astroroof. I installed an '87 header panel and grill, as well as '87 taillights for a more modern look.
    Interior Jaz bucket seats, factory rear seats, factory door panels, factory dash with Auto Meter gauges installed in place of factory gauges (Look at any '81-'82 Regal, and you'll see how perfect the dash is for this setup). Radio removed and replaced with a switch plate for intercooler pump, master cutoff, cooling fan, and night racing lights.
    I used the night racing light switch to illuminate the third brake light I installed and the gauges. This way, I wouldn't need to light up the front and rear marker lights while racing at night. The gauge lights still lit from the factory light switch, I just added diodes in each line to prevent feedback to the other system. I installed a Grant steering wheel with removable kit to help entrance and exit from the car. Power windows and doors were full functioning. I left the heater controls in for looks only.

    Gauges Auto Meter Tach, boost gauge, coolant temp, trans temp, oil pressure, and fuel pressure with isolator.
    Trunk Battery with shutoff.
    Miscellaneous Tricks
    I used a Ford starter solenoid in the trunk of the car between the battery and the starter motor. The 'trickle' feed for the started activated this solenoid, powering the 00 welding cable I used to run to the starter. I ran a small loop wire from the large terminal of the Tilton starter solenoid to the trigger wire of the starter. This way, the only time current runs to the starter is during cranking. The output from the alternator went to the battery side of the cutoff switch, ensuring that when the cutoff switch is engaged, the alternator would not continue to power the car.
    I tried running a Moroso electric water pump drive on the car for a while, but it didn't perform as well as the stock one.

    Since I was running both a transbrake and a linelock, and since I didn't want to have two transbrake/linelock buttons and associated wiring snaking through the interior, I set them both up to run off of one button. I would flip a dash mounted switch down, go into the water box, press the button, do my burnout. As I went to the line, flip the dash switch up, stage, press the same button, which now would activate the transbrake. The switch I used was a three position, so for day-to-day driving I would set it in the middle position, which connected the button to nothing for safety.

    ET History
    9/93
    9.676@140.53 Union Grove, Wisconsin (with exhaust system) 50 degree weather, absolutely perfect conditions
    10/93 9.75@138.40 Grapple at the Gateway, Fairfield, IL (exhaust, against Billy Glidden)
    5/94 9.654@138.64 GS Nats (without exhaust, but with ladder bars) Far from perfect conditions
    6/94 9.79@138.4 Byron Dragway, Rockford, IL (added steel bumpers) 105 degree weather. BRUTAL conditions.

    Typically, I would run 6.1x @ 113 in the eighth mile. At the Nats in '94 during the first round of eliminations, I dialed a 9.68 and had to start letting off at the 900' mark and then coast/brake to a win. I ran a 9.70 @ 123, but my eighth mile was a 6.03 @ 114.5!! Even though I got $400 for the win (the rest of eliminations got called for rain), I'd give the money back in a heartbeat for the time slip that coulda' been!!!

    Race Weight: With the fuel cell 3/4 full, and myself aboard (175 lbs), the car weighed 3250 lbs with fiberglass bumpers and 3325 lbswith steel bumpers.
     
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  8. superbuickguy

    superbuickguy Well-Known Member

    just for the record, shipping weight of the Skylark was 3250.... it only gets lighter from here ;)
     
  9. superbuickguy

    superbuickguy Well-Known Member

    First of all I bought the hot air Grand National because a friend told me there was one he knew about. The car was very abused by the previous owner. Some of the issues was the radiator was pretty well plugged solid and lots of dents. It seems the previous owner took to parking it under a walnut tree.
    One of the first things we did was pull the motor and took it to Weber racing in Ridgeville, Ohio to have the motor gone through and start a rebuilt.

    The Recipe
    1. We found the block was in excellent condition. The heads were not nor were the headers. We went with TRW pistons 30 over and billet center main caps.

    2. We went with the ATR stainless steel set up for the Headers, down pipe, cross over and exhaust. This gives the car a modest rumble and was a direct bolt on.
    3. The heads were actually 87 GN heads that were ported and polished with bigger valves and heads o ringed

    4. We decided on a roller cam with roller rockers using the 206/ 206 Weber cam for this application.

    5. The stock turbo and throttle body were sent to Limited engineering and a 63 size turbo was placed in the stock housing. The stock throttle body was opened up as wide as possible without going through approximately 62 mm. Installed an 87 waste gate set up with 1 line instead of 2.

    6. We decided on the 86/87 Ecm conversion, which included the maf sensor and map sensor upgrade using the Casper electronics kit.

    7. Upgraded the stock coil to an 86/87 coil using the conversion kit offered by Caspers electronics as well.

    8. Removed the fan shroud after upgrading to a twin fan set up as well as new radiator from Be Cool. This has an adjustable thermostat that cycles automatically when the car reaches a certain temperature to keep the car as cool as possible.

    9. 160 degree thermostat.

    10. 42.5 # injectors with a Red Armstrong 108 chip burned for the hot air set up.

    11. Hot wire fuel pump using the Walbro 340 and adjustable fuel regulator

    12. Went with an electric water pump for the turbo v-6, this meant we had to delete two of the belts and only run one for our new set up.

    13. Oil evac system

    14. Bilstein shocks with metro boxed in lower control arms and adjustable uppers.

    15. Air bags in the back we are running 18# passenger and 6# in the driver’s air bag. Put 30# in the spare tire space over passenger tire. Rebuilt front suspension and replaced all the springs.

    16. Replaced all the body mounts including the ones for the GNX (my car was missing 6)

    17. Brakes are s-10 wheel cylinders with soft compound shoes.

    18. Transmission is a 200 4 r metric reworked with the BRF valve body.

    19. Running a 3200 lock up converter Art Carr set up.

    20. Have a drive shaft loop

    21. Upgraded to the ATR rear sway bar.

    22. TA rear end cover

    23. 3.73 gears, with a posi rear end.

    24. Tires of choice have been Mikey Thompson ET streets 28 x 11.5 by 15 with 14# of air pressure, for rears. 26x7.5x15 Mickey Thompson sportsman pros on front on 26x4.5x15 Centerline Tel stars rims. (Running Centerline Tel Star rims on rear as well)

    25. Have an 6 point cage from Art Morrison and 5 point seat harness, kept stock seats and seat belts.

    26. Hurst quick silver shifter

    27. Run the NGKUR5 spark plug gapped at .030 with the plug wires from Quad air

    28. Have done a ground up restoration, this included body work, new seat covers by Jax’s , new carpet and hand cleaning all interior pieces. Also replaced the sagging headliner with the kit offered by Cars. We have repainted and detailed the motor compartment as well.

    29. Run the turbobuicks smaller starter

    30. Intake is stock gasket ported and egr blanked off this work was completed by I win engineering, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

    31. One of the things we have found really useful is making a 3 hole binder of all the information we have on our cars. This way you have a quick reference right at your finger tips. Even though I’m sure we will all agree this site is the best out there for information on our cars.
    32. ESP 208/228 cam in 2003
    33. 3" Lee Thompson downpipe with Deltagate in crossover in 2003
    34. SMC EGT meter


    Track Testing
    The best pass to date at this time is 11.637
    The slip looks like this:

    R/T
    .575
    60
    1.572
    330
    4.685
    660
    7.345@ 91.79/div>
    1000
    9.675
    1/4
    11.637@ 113.53

    This was reading the tree and building next to nothing for boost before the launch. Can only get about 4#'’ against the brake right now with the smaller converter, but seems to work well. A transbrake by Performance Transmissions is in the works for next year. The boost was at 25# with about 80 #’s of fuel pressure at wot.

    I would like to thank first of all my husband Karl who supported me with this project with a lot of dedication and hard work. (and not to mention a little cursing at the car as well, thus the name Karl’s Kurse) Thank you! I would like to Thank Louie who said this could be done, Thanks for your support. Also, Marka who already achieved this goal. A big thanks to Lee Thompson who directed us in the right direction and was more then willing to help us with our application. Thank you. Also, but not least, Ken Mosher who has allowed me to ask about a thousand questions in the past 5 years. Thank you. I know there are a lot of others. Thanks!
     
  10. superbuickguy

    superbuickguy Well-Known Member

    How Strong Is A Standard Buick V6 Block?
    Written by Marlan Davis on February 8, 2013
    [​IMG]
    VIEW ALL 1 PHOTOS
    Pit Stop

    William Pica Asks…

    Q: Can I take a naturally aspirated 231 Buick V6 block and use it to build a turbo engine with 16 to 20 psi of boost? I know I would need to upgrade the internals. My main concern is the block itself. The engine is going in a ’69 Cutlass, not a later Grand National.

    Boost is merely one means to an end: making power. What you really need to ask is, “How much horsepower can a stock Buick V6 block withstand?” The consensus of Buick V6 experts such as Ken Duttweiler (Duttweiler Engineering) and Mike Tomaszewski (TA Performance) is around 550 to 600 hp. “They’ll take that amount for a good while,” Duttweiler says. “A street guy I know put 80,000 miles on one before a main cap broke, but usually it’s the crank that goes first. There are some guys making 1,000 hp on the stock block with billet main caps and stud girdles. But, ultimately, the deck isn’t thick enough to survive at that level for long; it’ll crack around the head bolts.”


    [​IMG]
    HRPT 18: Hoover, AL


    Speaking of oil, the factory Buick oiling system is definitely a weak link. At the street/strip level, the basic fix is TA Performance’s blueprinted, close-tolerance front cover and oil-pump assembly (PN TA 1533B). TA holds its internal pump clearances within 0.001 inch, tighter than original GM factory specs, and light years ahead of sloppy replacement, made-in-China covers. The pump itself puts out more pressure and volume, and the assembly’s internal oil transfer passages are enlarged over stock. This raises overall oil pressure, even after initial warm up, when internal clearances increase and the hot oil thins out.

    Be sure to install an antiwalk cam-thrust button. Using a good-quality single-link timing chain instead of a double-roller will permit retaining the factory chain-tensioner, helping to control harmonics by dampening the slack-side of the chain. Tomaszewski says, “It’s not easy to find a replacement tensioner on the outside, but we carry one under PN TA V1394R.”

    Looking at the rotating assembly, a turbo-engine crank is stronger with rolled fillets, but even it won’t last long over 600 hp. Forget the stock pistons—go to forgings, shooting for about an 8.5:1 compression-ratio on a boosted engine. Scat and TA offer quality stock-length rods.

    But why worry about stock-length rods if you’ll be replacing the crank anyway? Once committed to a stouter aftermarket crank, it makes sense to put in a stroker and gain some cubes. TA Performance sells an integrated stroker kit (PN TA V1613) that includes a 3.625-inch-stroke billet crank (the stock iron crank stroke is 3.400 inches), 6.350-inch center-to-center con-rods, forged pistons in the compression ratio of your choice, and wider-than-stock bearings. On a 231 bored 0.030-over to 3.830 inches, this yields 251 ci.

    As for the cam, I lean toward a very mild hydraulic roller grind. There’s just too many issues with flat-tappet cams with today’s mainline motor oils, even on an engine with inherently good oiling like a small-block Chevy, let alone on the problematic Buick. Current turbo technology is so improved in terms of minimizing exhaust backpressure issues that, other than slightly wider lobe separation, there’s not all that much difference any more in raw specs between an NA cam and a so-called turbo cam. One remaining difference when specing a custom cam for a turbo engine is that with many modern cams, there are quick-acting intake-lobe profiles as well as “softer”-closing exhaust profiles. With a turbo, you don’t really need a different-closing-rate, exhaust-specific lobe profile because exhaust-wave tuning characteristics are not that critical. Still, you want to minimize any through-chamber blow-by to quickly build boost. Hence, the lobe-profile experts at Comp Cams maintain that the modern fast-closing intake lobes also work quite well on a turbo engine’s exhaust-side.

    Bearing this in mind, Comp recommends a custom hydraulic roller grind based on its Xtreme Energy XFI hydraulic roller series: intake lobe profile No. 3013 for the intake side, and intake lobe profile No. 3014 for use on the exhaust. The complete ordering information is as follows:

    Comp Buick V6 Custom Hydraulic Roller Cam
    Custom Buick V6 Basic PN 69-000-8 (Spec – 22127312)
    Core No. C99
    Grind No. BV69 30135S / 3014S HR 113.0
    Vale lift, 1.55:1 rockers (intake/exhaust) 0.548/0.553 inches
    Duration at 0.050 (intake/exhaust) 214/218 degrees
    Lobe-separation angle 113.0 degrees
    Intake centerline (installed) 111.0 degrees
    Small-block Chevy, retrofit-style, paired, link-bar-type hydraulic roller lifters will fit a Buick V6. The Buick No. 3 cylinder’s lifter-boss spacing is about 0.060 inch wider than the Chevy, but the Chevy lifter’s link-bar slot is long enough to accommodate this slight difference without issues. Nevertheless,TA has “real” Buick V6 hydraulic roller lifters if you want them. Bearing this in mind, use the above cam with the following valvetrain parts:

    Additional Valvetrain Parts
    Except as noted, all parts are made by Comp Cams.
    Lifters (retrofit-style with paired link bar) TA V11412 (TA Buick V6) or 853-12 (Comp Chevy small-block/V6-90)
    Valvesprings (beehive-type) 26918-12
    Retainers (steel) 1787-12-TS
    Valve locks, fully machined 648-12
    Valve seals 503-12
    Unlike the blocks, some late factory turbo heads are stronger than earlier V6 castings. But these days—as is typical with so many other engines—unless it’s a straight restoration or class racer, one has to question whether it’s worth investing in any set of worn-out stock heads when vastly superior yet still reasonably affordable aluminum aftermarket heads are available.

    It’s possible to make about 600 hp (the stock block’s safe limit) with a single turbo and a highly efficient intercooler on about 22-psi boost. Exile Turbo’s Rick Head as well as Garrett’s boost advisor recommend a GTX3582R turbo with a 62.5mm compressor inducer. This advanced turbo has a ported shroud compressor housing to increase surge resistance, plus a dual ball-bearing, oil- and water-cooled center-housing rotating assembly (CHRA) for durability.

    Garrett doesn’t sell direct, so you’ll have to purchase the parts through a distributor like Exile Turbo. It’s not available as a single complete unit, either. The compressor housing and CHRA assembly with a No. 58 trim is available under PN 803715-1. The turbine housing must be ordered separately; there are a number of A/R ratio and inlet and outlet flange options. I’d start with a midrange 0.82 turbine A/R ratio with a four-bolt, T4-style inlet flange and a universal V-band coupler outlet flange (Garrett PN 740902-17). The inlet side will mate with TA Performance’s stainless-steel exhaust header set (PN TA V2011CH-SS). Although listed for late-model G-bodies like the Grand National, the tight-fitting set should fit your earlier Olds A-body.

    As for an air-to-air intercooler core, if there’s room, you want one measuring at least 18 inches wide x 12 inches high x 3 inches thick (such as Garrett PN 703518-6004). This is the basic core dimensional outline only; side tanks must be custom fabbed. You will probably need water-alcohol injection at full boost on pump gas (Snow Performance is one source).

    On the fuel side, consider a larger Accufab 70mm throttle-body (PN 108-20XX-3X) and a programmable aftermarket ECU. According to Tomaszewski, “FAST EFI is where it’s at for the Buick V6.” Duttweiler concurs.

    Finally, if you want to go big, check into TA’s aluminum V6 block.
     
  11. superbuickguy

    superbuickguy Well-Known Member

    8.5 is the number .... how to get there is the question.
     
  12. superbuickguy

    superbuickguy Well-Known Member

    Buinicorn is getting parts thrown at it. I haven't committed to the motor yet, but brakes, and tubular components are in the mail and will be installed as soon as they get here.... I seriously think I'm going to sell it when it's done. Neat to have for sure, but refilling the project car bank account is neater. This may also influence what motor ends up in it... I still am committed to the Buick ideal - but whether the GNX stays or not.... dunno
     
  13. superbuickguy

    superbuickguy Well-Known Member

    and parts have started to arrive (yay)
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    still not sure on whether spring or air.. I have airbags, but then again, basically I'm following what I did on my last Skylark for suspension..... and it worked well with just drop springs....
     
  14. superbuickguy

    superbuickguy Well-Known Member

    the front disk brake conversion arrived
    [​IMG]

    unfortunately, the rear arms are on back order.... ugh.
     
  15. superbuickguy

    superbuickguy Well-Known Member

    There are people who post on the internet who deserve a Nobel Peace prize.... this is one of those... anyone wants to know the differences between 1964-1972 A body suspension parts.... here it is. The nutshell is this, the only difference for interchangeability of all suspension parts on an A-body is the upper, rear control arms. 64-66 is 12 3/4 inches hole to hole, 67-72 is 10 1/4 inches.

    I know a bunch, but I learned a few things here too...

    the website
    https://www.lever-family-racing.com/lever-family-racing-home/control-arms-version-2/gm-a-body-64-72
     
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  16. superbuickguy

    superbuickguy Well-Known Member

    I learned something... I'll share. This is not a complaint - simply knowledge so that you can make informed decisions on suppliers.

    I ordered parts from an ebay vendor who claimed the part was in stock and ready to ship.
    It wasn't, matter of fact, after 2 weeks of waiting, I sent an email to them saying "whatzup"
    They responded with "oh, that's out of stock, did we not mention this to you? our bad" they then opined that it might be in stock in 1-2 weeks (now their ad says 3 weeks from today).
    I responded that they had a more expensive part (an additional feature) and I needed the part now - so I'd pay the difference I just need it now.*
    No response.
    Finally the last day for them to deliver passes. I ask for a refund.
    Crickets.
    Send a note to Ebay....

    okay so here is the warning point....

    Ebay makes you wait another week before they will intervene... if they do, it's another week to get a refund through them.

    If you can wait or if the deal is awesome - fantastic, however, that fine print may cause you to need to look at other options.

    Again, not complaining - I'm certain that neither the vendor or ebay wish to have an annoyed customer.

    *sidenote to vendors - if you're sending a 'whoops' or 'don't have' email, offer a refund because it's not going to get better from here.
     
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  17. superbuickguy

    superbuickguy Well-Known Member

    *and just for the record* I've ordered everything to finish the suspension on this from Speedway. It arrives next Tuesday.... I'm so far beyond excited to get this into the queue
     
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  18. superbuickguy

    superbuickguy Well-Known Member

    brown Santa was good to me today
    [​IMG]
    adjustable upper control arms
    [​IMG]
    tubular lower control arms
    [​IMG]
    fuzzy rear sway bar
    [​IMG]
    big un for the front
    [​IMG]
    new rear springs
    [​IMG]
    new front springs and new shocks
    [​IMG]
    before anyone gets excited... spring for now, air for later
     
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  19. superbuickguy

    superbuickguy Well-Known Member

    anyone have any clever way of getting the rear tailgate to release? I suspect the latches got water in them and they corroded.... of course, because the gate is closed, I can't put any fluid in the area between the gate and the fender.... I've sprayed the back with lubricant, but I suspect that the fluid isn't getting anywhere it needs to go..... If it gets too tough, the right side has a lot of bondo in it, so cutting the drilling out from the back would solve the right side... but the left is pristine and I don't want to hurt it if at all possible.....

    suggestions?


    this video shows the style of latch at 1:53
    [VIDEO]
     
  20. superbuickguy

    superbuickguy Well-Known Member

    it's back in the shop
    [​IMG]

    so a dent was added to this corner but I'm going to say it's what loosened the tailgate...
    [​IMG]

    this is what the latch looks like
    [​IMG]

    the MO, I soaked the snot out of those latches (and when I got it open it doesn't look like much lubricant got in), then wanged the corner putting it in the shop (oops).... but that loosened the driver's side, the passenger side took just a bit of prying to get it to pop loose - so the advice about kicking from the inside probably would have worked too... all the suspension points are soaking in lube and probably tomorrow night I'll get on getting the parts on....I need a C3 break, so this is it... plan is get the suspension on, get the motor mounts done, driveshaft measured, then pull the motor and trans out for rebuild.... while that happens I'll start on the body, though likely I'll get back on the Corvette.... I'm having... nevermind, I'll post the issue there - maybe someone has a solution....
     

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