Recent content by Jack

one-time CAC forum member "Mitch" passed away 28 FEB 2012 today is Friday, March 02, 2012 and yes I realize this is an old thread. regarding the Original Poster "Mitch" from his obituary FLORENCE, SC Talmage Mitchell Rhames, 58, passed away Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at a local hospital...

First ... GMPP ZZ4 crate has a steel roller camshaft & requires correct dist gear ... a "melonized" gear. You can buy the dist gear separately from GM & install it on any GM HEI or clone thereof with .491" od shaft. The msd td dist requires an additional cd spark box & wiring & place to mount...

A Rochester Quadrajet will fit that Performer intake manifold just as nicely ... and fit OE air cleaner & OE fuel line & OE booster etc etc. Perhaps return the Holley ? ... exchange for a decent JET Performance brand rebuilt QJet for same $ ? If you still have car's OE QJet, there're quality...

dish OE L48 + GM 10105117 gasket + L98 aka ZZ4 head yields ~ 9 3/4:1 scr No significant performance difference L48 v. L82 heads. Both have 76cc chamber & same size ports-runners. L48 needs lots more compression & more cam. '75-up needs true dual exhaust. :thumb I've no doubt resulting CR will be...

The heads themselves have nothing to do with how high the carb sets ... the intake manifold does. Matters not whether L48 heads, vortec heads or afr heads ... it does matter what the intake manifold is. FYI: Years back I checked Intake Manifold from '71 L48 OE Intake Manifold, Cast Iron c/n...

75-85 sbc 1 pc op gasket felpro OS34510T Most chrome pan/tc are cheap asian ... and often poorly made & often fit poorly. You do Not need a race gasket ... fp makes both replacement & race types. Very good one piece rubber oil pan gasket for 75-85 sbc ... ... felpro p/n OS34510T ... ...

I cannot clarify this further.

First, suggest you verify temps with a separate, known t'meter ... so you KNOW what temps are ... dash gages not always reliable. I'm usually pretty good on this stuff ... but I had one recently yank my chain ... over & over & over. Our own car ... Lincoln Town car we've had nearly 7 years...

There is a widely-held book on rebuilding small block chevy ... zillions have used it ... it's a great book (may be the best) for novice or someone who hasn't tackled it in years. Title "How to rebuild a small block chevy" ... often at local & online bookstores ie amazon, B&N, walden etc ...

stock motor has dished pistons and weak cam. suggest you overhaul with flattop pistons and a bit more cam. Let us know when & what you plan for along with realistic budget.

GM's cleaning instructions for cooling system I use this tsb (#99-06-02-012D) from GM as a guide for system cleanout ... a guide, not an absolute. I pay close heed to chemicals, concentrations, time & temps ... but I don't refill w/ dexcool. This tsb is nearly ten years old. Rust in Cooling...

the prestone & GM stuff I suggested is oxalic acid ... I didn't intend to imply oxalic acid is specifically intended for cooling system cleanout ... it's also widely available as wood bleach. If your cooling jackets have collected lotsa impacted sediment /rust ... it'll still flow clear from...

regarding 81 DISTRIBUTOR ... 81 did NOT have vacuum advance. since carb's apparently been modded ... maybe dist too? Lotsa folks have modded 81 to install earlier HEI distributor that does have a vacuum advance ... better check to see if yours still has OE computer ECM ... and if it's...

Your other posts indicate you have sticking valve, loose rocker stud etc ... you must have entire valvetrain looked at closely by experienced person & have it fixed before you install another cam. The sp 274 cam Ralph suggests is a correct stock OE-type replacement for 81 vette w/ 6 vin...

Suggest you repeat ... but with threaded block plugs removed & with a stronger chemical cleaner designed for cooling systems .... reference "hard to find" GM p/n 12346500 aka prestone heavy duty cooling system cleaner aka oxalic acid. Then replace t'stat & cap. Refill with proper concentration...