J
JB_68_Roadster
Guest
Hi all, my name is Joe.
The 68 is the first carbeurated and non EFI/PCM type of vehicle Ive owned in about 15 years. I bought this Vette a couple of weeks ago and havent had a whole lot of time to get intimate with it yet but there are some obvious problems with it. I have my own suspicions as to what may be causing some of these problems but only a fool never listens to the wisdom of the experienced so I turn to the elder statesmen and young brainiacs for some possibilities I may be overlooking.
First off let me give you some background on the car. It was purchased by a restoration/muscle car leasing corp. and they're intentions were to lease it out for weekends, summers or even long term. Luckily I saved it from that fate by getting them to sell it to me. It has a base 327 with 300h.p. and 360 ft/lb. tq. and the standard 3spd. which Im going to swap out for a M21 or 22 at some point in the future. Not sure on the rear gearing yet, havent decoded it but the car is virtually all stock and in great shape.
The first and foremost thing that I noticed is that the car has absolutely no power. It starts fine, sounds good and seems to run well but there certainly isnt no 300h.p. as advertised. It feels more like 150h.p. and 175 ft/lb tq. To put it in perspective my winter ride is a 91 Jeep Comanche with a straight six and about 150,000 miles on it. My Jeep could walk all over this Vette... In every gear......Not cool.
It doesnt blow any smoke white, grey or black. It doesnt sound like it's missing though it does have electrical problems. It sounds kinda bogged down when I take off and is just way underpowered. One thing I know is that the large rear butterfly on the carb isnt opening at w.o.t. and Im thinking the timing might be way too retarded. I have even wondered that since this was going to be a lease car if it wasnt governed but I wouldnt know what a governor would look like if it smacked me in the mouth.
The electrical problem I spoke of perplexes me a little but I suppose it will just be a short somewhere. The day after I brought the car home I went out to the garage and heard a soft buzzing sound comming from the drivers side engine compartment. When I opened the door to pop the hood and the int. lights came on the buzzing stopped. I looked at where it sounded like it came from and it seemed to be the brand new voltage regulator or what appears to be a starter relay switch mounted right in the middle of the drivers side inner fender. Also the battery does not stay charged and Im assuming that its related to this. When I jumped it to start it the negative side cable on the car and the jumper became rather warm which I believe lends support to a short problem.
Anyways I didnt mean to write War and Peace here but I dont know these cars, havent even got a good shop manual or any schematics yet, havent timed or tuned a car without the aid of a computer in some time yet I burn to get this thing running better.
I guess I figure some of you must be way more experienced than me and would appreciate any suggestions or FYI's about my model/year. I guess once I get it running correct in it's current condition then the struggle of "to mod or not to mod, that is the question" will be next.
Again I would be thankful for any suggestions.
Peace,
J.
The 68 is the first carbeurated and non EFI/PCM type of vehicle Ive owned in about 15 years. I bought this Vette a couple of weeks ago and havent had a whole lot of time to get intimate with it yet but there are some obvious problems with it. I have my own suspicions as to what may be causing some of these problems but only a fool never listens to the wisdom of the experienced so I turn to the elder statesmen and young brainiacs for some possibilities I may be overlooking.
First off let me give you some background on the car. It was purchased by a restoration/muscle car leasing corp. and they're intentions were to lease it out for weekends, summers or even long term. Luckily I saved it from that fate by getting them to sell it to me. It has a base 327 with 300h.p. and 360 ft/lb. tq. and the standard 3spd. which Im going to swap out for a M21 or 22 at some point in the future. Not sure on the rear gearing yet, havent decoded it but the car is virtually all stock and in great shape.
The first and foremost thing that I noticed is that the car has absolutely no power. It starts fine, sounds good and seems to run well but there certainly isnt no 300h.p. as advertised. It feels more like 150h.p. and 175 ft/lb tq. To put it in perspective my winter ride is a 91 Jeep Comanche with a straight six and about 150,000 miles on it. My Jeep could walk all over this Vette... In every gear......Not cool.
It doesnt blow any smoke white, grey or black. It doesnt sound like it's missing though it does have electrical problems. It sounds kinda bogged down when I take off and is just way underpowered. One thing I know is that the large rear butterfly on the carb isnt opening at w.o.t. and Im thinking the timing might be way too retarded. I have even wondered that since this was going to be a lease car if it wasnt governed but I wouldnt know what a governor would look like if it smacked me in the mouth.
The electrical problem I spoke of perplexes me a little but I suppose it will just be a short somewhere. The day after I brought the car home I went out to the garage and heard a soft buzzing sound comming from the drivers side engine compartment. When I opened the door to pop the hood and the int. lights came on the buzzing stopped. I looked at where it sounded like it came from and it seemed to be the brand new voltage regulator or what appears to be a starter relay switch mounted right in the middle of the drivers side inner fender. Also the battery does not stay charged and Im assuming that its related to this. When I jumped it to start it the negative side cable on the car and the jumper became rather warm which I believe lends support to a short problem.
Anyways I didnt mean to write War and Peace here but I dont know these cars, havent even got a good shop manual or any schematics yet, havent timed or tuned a car without the aid of a computer in some time yet I burn to get this thing running better.
I guess I figure some of you must be way more experienced than me and would appreciate any suggestions or FYI's about my model/year. I guess once I get it running correct in it's current condition then the struggle of "to mod or not to mod, that is the question" will be next.
Again I would be thankful for any suggestions.
Peace,
J.