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Helpfu Hints Andl Easy Modifications For C3's

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Helpful Hints And Easy Modifications For C3's

Over the last several years I have learned a few helpful tricks and made several easy modifications to my '68 and '71:

1. A roadside trouble light with a 12 foot retractable cord. It uses a double filament stop/turn bulb and a home made glass jar "globe" and it's REALLY bright.

2. A 2-quart wiper fluid reservoir (same picture) that is a LOT bigger than the hard-to-get-to OEM burlap bag that maybe held one pint.

3. Air restriction indicator (about $35) that tells me when my OEM air filter needs servicing. It's impossible to know when a filter needs replacing by it's appearance alone but the air restriction indicator will tell me.

4. Air cooled HEI. With a 1/2" hose attached to a 90 degree fitting on the evaporator housing and the other end to the side of the HEI cap cool air continually flows thru the cap and cools the distributor module.

5. Grounded distributor cover. Because our C3's have a fiberglass firewall the grounded cover prevents radio static and ruined speedometers from the powerful electromagnetic field coming from the un-shielded HEI coil.

6. Fuel pressure tap. Every fuel line or carburetor needs a fuel pressure tap where a pressure gauge can be attached. Use an ordinary brass "T", drill it through with a 3/8" drill, then sweat solder it in place.

7. Accessory fuse block. By adding an accessory fuse block where the 30-amp circuit breaker is you can power your under-hood accessories from the block. A nice thing to have.

8. Lubing relay valves. Add a few drops of air motor oil to the inlet (center hose) of the relay valves every now and then and they'll keep working smoothly.

9. Side mirrors won't stay adjusted?? Just add a single drop of red LocTite to the swivel ball, work it in, and it'll keep it nice and tight for about a year of daily use.
 

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Nice picture of the cleverly un-insulated terminals on your under hood fuse panel, no doubt for better heat sink capability.

I wonder why nobody else has ever thought to drill a hole on the side of their HEI distributer cap? Only a genius like you could come up with that.
 
Thank God I have a C-5, I'm sure it has all those features built in already

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
 
I wonder why nobody else has ever thought to drill a hole on the side of their HEI distributor cap? Only a genius like you could come up with that.


It's people like me who show people like you there are ways to improve things. As heat is the greatest enemy of ignition modules it only makes sense to keep them cooler to increase their lifespans. And thank you for the compliment!
 
Starter Solenoid Post Connected To Air Restriction Indicator Base

Look closely at the mount bracket for my air restriction indicator. You'll see a wire attached to the base and that wire goes to the "S" terminal of my starter solenoid. When I want to bump my engine over to set lifters I just connect my Snap On push button starter switch to the mount bracket and the HOT terminal on the fuse block.
 
It's people like me who show people like you there are ways to improve things. As heat is the greatest enemy of ignition modules it only makes sense to keep them cooler to increase their lifespans. And thank you for the compliment!
There are millions if not billions of HEI units out there and yours is the only one that needed extra cooling

Think about that!

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
 
There are millions if not billions of HEI units out there and yours is the only one that needed extra cooling

Think about that!

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk


No, I'm just a person who is bright enough to know the greatest enemy of solid state electrical components is HEAT so it sure doesn't hurt to keep them as cool as possible. And I also use Permatex RTV to transfer the module's heat to the distributor housing.
 
It's people like me who show people like you there are ways to improve things. As heat is the greatest enemy of ignition modules it only makes sense to keep them cooler to increase their lifespans. And thank you for the compliment!



Sure, your welcome genius.


Only you didn't help cool the ignition module at all, you only hurt the integrity of your cap.


Any idea why GM didn't try your nifty idea?


Hell, or anyone else for that matter.
 
No, I'm just a person who is bright enough to know the greatest enemy of solid state electrical components is HEAT so it sure doesn't hurt to keep them as cool as possible. And I also use Permatex RTV to transfer the module's heat to the distributor housing.

If there was an issue with keeping the temperature of the module down why does mine still have what seems to be the factory module? Surely we would be hearing of these modules failing constantly after only a very short life, and long drives would be an absolute killer for them; but that doesn't seem to be the case.
 
Roadside Trouble Light

My roadside trouble light is really cool as it'll reach all the way to the rear of my '71. It was mounted on the inner left fender of my '73 Chevy pickup which I seldom drive so I decided to put it in my '71 Vette. I made a new globe using a small glass jar and added a hook so I can hang it on something.

At the lower left of the picture you can see my electric windshield washer pump that draws washer fluid (straight Windex) out of the two-quart reservoir that the trouble light is attached to.
 

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  • 1971 Corvette Roadside Trouble Light And Wiper Fluid Reservoir .jpg
    1971 Corvette Roadside Trouble Light And Wiper Fluid Reservoir .jpg
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My roadside trouble light is really cool as it'll reach all the way to the rear of my '71. It was mounted on the inner left fender of my '73 Chevy pickup which I seldom drive so I decided to put it in my '71 Vette. I made a new globe using a small glass jar and added a hook so I can hang it on something.

At the lower left of the picture you can see my electric windshield washer pump that draws washer fluid (straight Windex) out of the two-quart reservoir that the trouble light is attached to.



Yeah, that looks much easier to use than a small $5.00 led flashlight that you can keep in your console or glove box.

Now if you could only figure out how to keep an ignition module cool. Oh wait, GM has already done that for you. Never mind.

You are a genius.
 
I have had many people also tell me that during my lifetime. Thank you for reinforcing their opinions.



They clearly don't know how to access the internet.
 
He is too bright to understand sarcasm!

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
 
Air Restriction Indicator

When you live in a horribly dusty area like I do having an air restriction indicator is nice because it's impossible to tell when a filter needs to be serviced based on its appearance alone.
 
Stant Lev-R-Vent Radiator Caps

Here's another item I couldn't live without.............the good old Stant Lev-R-Vent radiator caps with the lift-up lever to relieve pressure. I have always hated those darn 8-sided OEM style caps that are really hard to get a good grip on so I now have these excellent Stant Lev-R-Vent caps on all of my vehicles. About 5 years ago I unscrewed my 8-sided OEM cap and when it appeared to be loose (and no pressure under it) I turned it the rest of the way and BOOM. Scalding coolant burst out of my radiator and drenched my whole back. I ran outside to get my garden hose but found it too was scalding hot because it was sitting in the direct sun (it was the middle of summer). So I gritted my teeth for about 15 minutes while waiting for the severe burning pain to subside.

The Stant Lev-R-Vent caps cost a couple of bucks more than the lousy 8-sided OEM style caps but boy are they worth the minimal cost difference. Just lift the lever all the way to relieve ALL the pressure. I bought mine from my local True Value hardware store but you can buy them from most any automotive parts store.
 

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Fast Acting Relay Actuator Valves

By putting a few drops of any air motor oil into the center hose of the relay valves you can make them very fast acting. Over time the original lubricant gets gummed up and slows the action of the spool valve so a few drops of oil will make a big difference in how fast your relay valve works. For the early C3's with wiper doors the oil can be dribbled down the feed hose that originates from up above; next to the wiper door actuator. I use the readily available Campbell Hausfeld air tool oil that can be purchased from Walmart for a few bucks.
 

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  • 1971 Corvette Relay Valve Lubricant .jpg
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Here's another item I couldn't live without.............the good old Stant Lev-R-Vent radiator caps with the lift-up lever to relieve pressure. I have always hated those darn 8-sided OEM style caps that are really hard to get a good grip on so I now have these excellent Stant Lev-R-Vent caps on all of my vehicles. About 5 years ago I unscrewed my 8-sided OEM cap and when it appeared to be loose (and no pressure under it) I turned it the rest of the way and BOOM. Scalding coolant burst out of my radiator and drenched my whole back. I ran outside to get my garden hose but found it too was scalding hot because it was sitting in the direct sun (it was the middle of summer). So I gritted my teeth for about 15 minutes while waiting for the severe burning pain to subside.

The Stant Lev-R-Vent caps cost a couple of bucks more than the lousy 8-sided OEM style caps but boy are they worth the minimal cost difference. Just lift the lever all the way to relieve ALL the pressure. I bought mine from my local True Value hardware store but you can buy them from most any automotive parts store.
There is NO REASON to release the pressure when an engine is hot!

As an engineer I'm sure he's aware of enthalpy

But then again probably not

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
 
There is NO REASON to release the pressure when an engine is hot!

As an engineer I'm sure he's aware of enthalpy

But then again probably not

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

You'll notice that the cap still says not to open while hot. But as we know TBTR thinks things are safe to do even after he's been told it's not, sometimes even after he's proved it's not.
 
Here's another item I couldn't live without.............the good old Stant Lev-R-Vent radiator caps with the lift-up lever to relieve pressure. I have always hated those darn 8-sided OEM style caps that are really hard to get a good grip on so I now have these excellent Stant Lev-R-Vent caps on all of my vehicles. About 5 years ago I unscrewed my 8-sided OEM cap and when it appeared to be loose (and no pressure under it) I turned it the rest of the way and BOOM. Scalding coolant burst out of my radiator and drenched my whole back. I ran outside to get my garden hose but found it too was scalding hot because it was sitting in the direct sun (it was the middle of summer). So I gritted my teeth for about 15 minutes while waiting for the severe burning pain to subside.



Of course you did!

Could not have happened any other way.

I may have a new favorite here

Genius.
 

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