Unhappy Corvette Owner.

[aaron1]

ad Hello every one!

Just like everybody else I am trying to get my car finished and on the road to have some enjoyment with. However, I am really frustrated with the lack of progress.

My car is a 78 with l48. I needed a new radiator. so I find an aftermarket one, however its a replacement for the heavy duty radiator. I did not think there would be any issues with this as it might help with extra cooling. I got new cushions for the wider seat of the new radiator.
I can just barely get the radiator into position without the fan shroud. Yesterday I found that you have to r+r the radiator with the fan shroud as an assembly. I was told that its listed in the AIM. I looked carefully in the AIM and did not see any mention of this. I also looked in the GM service manual. nothing. I tried this today and it will not work.

Someone on another forum said to rotate the frame the condenser is bolted to forward and the fan shroud and radiator should slide in. In order for this to work the hood needs to be removed. However its just me! How does just me remove the hood and then put hood back on without doing any more damage to the paint or hood?

I do not want to mess with the hood. Since my car is not a show car or trailer queen I thought about taking a saw to the fan shroud an making an upper half and a lower half. Why is it that in 78 only the corvette had a one piece fan shroud? I am sure I can fab up some tabs to lock the two halves together. All new GM vehicles haves a two piece fan shroud and they do not have cooling issues.

Has anyone customized their corvettes fan shroud? Anyone have any reason not to?... other than trailer queens.:eyerole

Please! give me some feedback.

aaron1

 

[LT4man]

I like your solution. Certainly, a two-piece shroud would work.

In the future, replacement would be a breeze!

Go for it!

While driving your Vette, please be sure to SAVE the WAVE!

 

[Bob Chadwick]

Do a search under the C3 forums. The issue of radiator replacement, two piece shrouds, etc. has come up a time or two in the past.

 

[bill81vette]

I have changed my radiator,and I do have a 2 piece shroud,
although it was a challenge,I did remove the top half ,the lower half made it
just as much of a challenge with it in there...I did not put a bigger radiator in its place
just an aftermarket 3 core radiator

 

[mkapp7879]

I'm DEFINITELY not a fan of the cutting the shroud in half idea.

In maybe an hours time you could remove the alternator, fan assembly, unbolt the AC compressor and hang it out of the way by the fender, and remove the water pump.
PLENTY of room to get shroud out and in with that stuff out of the way.

You'll already have the coolant drained, plus an opportunity to do a little cleanup at the front of the motor where so much crud seems to accumulate.

 

[6880 Mike]

...I tried this today and it will not work...

When done correctly, it does work. People have installed radiators and shrouds for years.

...Someone on another forum said to rotate the frame the condenser is bolted to...

The "frame" is the radiator support. The radiator support is a major structural component for the front clip of a Corvette.

...In order for this to work the hood needs to be removed. However its just me! How does just me remove the hood and then put hood back on without doing any more damage to the paint or hood?...

Very carefully. Hoods are not heavy, only bulky. Remove the hood hinge bolts and you and a friend can easily lift a C3 hood up and off the car without damaging the paint. It is also possible to do this yourself. I have removed the hood from my 68 and my 80 by myself. It's grunt work and much much easier with two people, but you could do it yourself.

...Why is it that in 78 only the corvette had a one piece fan shroud?...

It isn't. All C3s have one piece fan shrouds. Be glad your shroud is fiberglass. They're metal on some of the earlier cars.

...Please! give me some feedback...

Why not sit down, catch your breath, and read through some of the How To books and restoration threads on various forums? Knowledge is power. The more you now about what you're wanting to do, the better off you are.

Up to you, but cutting a fan shroud is Bubba's last resort.

Hang in there. It'll come together.

 

[Evolution1980]

I'd say go with the hood removal. Yes, it can be a royal PITA for a single person to do. But all things considered...
1) You only need one more set of hands to make hood removal easy.
2) You'll likely have no reason to ever remove the shroud again, so why hack it up?
3) If you can figure out how to properly fab worthwhile tabs to hold the shroud pieces together, then I bet with a little more planning and ingenuity, you can figure out how to get the hood off by yourself.
For whatever reason, the hood seems heavier than it is when it's hinged on the car. I have my original OEM hood in up against a wall in my garage and it's surprisingly light.

 

[Padgett]

WHAT IS A TRAILER QUEEN??and im just about to sell my 77 .i bought it to drive not spend endless hours on fixing a simple brake problem,,I done every thing and the SOB still pulls hard right when i hit the brakes.all calipers are working,new lines,i bled them the correct way 9 freakin times now.I GIVE UP.forced to take it to a shop ..man...i just hate doing that..ill buy a FORD before i go thru this crap againad as far as cutting something in half,,im thinking chainsaw will fix MYproblem

 

[catbert]

WHAT IS A TRAILER QUEEN??and im just about to sell my 77 .i bought it to drive not spend endless hours on fixing a simple brake problem,,I done every thing and the SOB still pulls hard right when i hit the brakes.all calipers are working,new lines,i bled them the correct way 9 freakin times now.I GIVE UP.forced to take it to a shop ..man...i just hate doing that..ill buy a FORD before i go thru this crap againad as far as cutting something in half,,im thinking chainsaw will fix MYproblem

Let's see if I have this straight - You are going to buy a Ford because YOU can't figure what's wrong with a 35 year old Corvette. That about it?

 

[gmjunkie]

When done correctly, it does work. People have installed radiators and shrouds for years.



The "frame" is the radiator support. The radiator support is a major structural component for the front clip of a Corvette.



Very carefully. Hoods are not heavy, only bulky. Remove the hood hinge bolts and you and a friend can easily lift a C3 hood up and off the car without damaging the paint. It is also possible to do this yourself. I have removed the hood from my 68 and my 80 by myself. It's grunt work and much much easier with two people, but you could do it yourself.



It isn't. All C3s have one piece fan shrouds. Be glad your shroud is fiberglass. They're metal on some of the earlier cars.



Why not sit down, catch your breath, and read through some of the How To books and restoration threads on various forums? Knowledge is power. The more you now about what you're wanting to do, the better off you are.

Up to you, but cutting a fan shroud is Bubba's last resort.

Hang in there. It'll come together.

 

[Evolution1980]

Let's see if I have this straight - You are going to buy a Ford because YOU can't figure what's wrong with a 35 year old Corvette. That about it?

I don't reckon he was entirely serious, just frustrated. You don't have a car like "bumblebee" only to get rid of it because ya can't figure out the brake problem. He just posted his original problem yesterday and has a couple bites already. Given enough time and continued input/feedback from him, someone here will help get him going in the right direction.

Padgett, Welcome to the

 

[Padgett]

i wont sell it and i didnt say my car was like bumblebee..i said bumblebee is BEHIND ME..little sticker i made up..and NO i would not trade it for a ford..its just freakin a big headach.....DAMN!!!!

 

[hotmtrsports]

Padgett:

I had a 1974 with 40K original miles in my shop about a month ago pulling to the right bad and he hasn't been able to fix it. It had no air in the lines and the calipers did seem to work fine with just a little brake fluid at the left front caliper. I changed out the left front caliper and it still pulled to the right. I suggested to the owner we change out both front calipers. I also put new rotors while I was there and of course new pads.

So we had one caliper leaking just a bit and the other caliper with a sticking piston.

I also noticed all the tie rod ends were VERY bad as well as the idler arm which I replaced. (upper and lower a-arm bushings were perfect).

Re-aligned car

100% cured. Works great.

Chuck M

 

[muddywaters]

Padgett, I know this is off topic but, Who is that beautiful women on your avatar???

 

[Mod75]

My brakes pulled to the left after new calipers all around, PITA!

Turned out to be one of the front calipers was from Advance auto and the other was from Oreillys . The pads are different, one has the holes for cooling, after 2-3 short stops the Oreilly pad was fading and the Advance pad would grab.

Just replacing the bad pads cured the problem.
Hope this helps

 

[Evolution1980]

Turned out to be one of the front calipers was from Advance auto and the other was from Oreillys . The pads are different, one has the holes for cooling, after 2-3 short stops the Oreilly pad was fading and the Advance pad would grab.

I'm not sure I get this...:ugh
I understand that you have two different calipers...that shouldn't be a major problem. But your pads should definitely be the same on both sides. When you buy a set of pads, there's (4) in the box...(2) for each side. You should never have different pads one side to the other. If you have a need to replace one caliper's pads, you automatically replace the other side. That's just S.O.P. (Standard Operating Procedure) and hence the reason why they are sold in sets.

 

[Mod75]

They where loaded calipers, came with the pads. Advance Auto/Oreillys
I was doing the back brakes and two friends did the fronts.
Guy doing the one with the pads with the cooling holes assumed they all looked like that.

Took a lot of head scratching to figure it out.

 

[tstorts]

What did to me 81

Our 81 was pulling to the right no matter what I did then I was told to replace the distrubition switch which controls the amount of pressure to each caliper, Just think about it , it maybe a possiblity
[h=3]Brake Pressure Indicator and Distribution Switch[/h]

• REMOVAL & INSTALLATION
• TESTING AND CENTERING THE SWITCH

Print
The brake pressure indicator and distribution switch (found on 1967-77 vehicles) is connected to the hydraulic lines from the master cylinder and is a pressure differential type, designed to light the brake warning lamp on the instrument panel if either the front or rear hydraulic system fails. The brake warning light will come on only when the brakes are applied. It will not remain on when the brakes are released. This switch is a non-adjustable and non-serviceable component and must be replaced if found defective.
[h=2]REMOVAL & INSTALLATION[/h]


See Figure 1

Fig. Fig. 1: The brake pressure indicator and distribution switch is mounted to the master cylinder

1. Disconnect the negative battery cable.
   
2. Disconnect the electrical lead from the switch assembly.
   
3. Place dry rags below the switch to absorb any spilled fluid.
   
4. Clean any dirt from the switch and hydraulic lines and disconnect the hydraulic lines at the switch. Cover the open line ends to protect the system from dirt.
   
5. Remove the mounting screw and remove the switch.
   
6. To install reverse the removal procedure and bleed the brake system.

[h=2]TESTING AND CENTERING THE SWITCH[/h]

Whenever work on the brake system is done, it is possible that the brake warning light will come on and refuse to go off when the work is finished. In this event, the switch must be centered.

1. Raise and support the vehicle.
   
2. Attach a bleeder hose to the rear brake bleed screw and immerse the other end of the hose in a jar of clean brake fluid.
   
3. Be sure that the master cylinder is full.
   
4. Turn the ignition key ON. Open the bleed screw while an assistant applies heavy pressure on the brake pedal. The warning lamp should light. Close the bleed screw before the helper releases the pedal.

To reset the switch, apply heavy pressure to the pedal. This will apply hydraulic pressure to the switch which will recenter it.

1. Repeat Step 4 for the front bleed screw.
   
2. Turn the ignition OFF and lower the vehicle.

If the warning lamp does not light during Step 4, the switch is defective and must be replaced.

WHAT IS A TRAILER QUEEN??and im just about to sell my 77 .i bought it to drive not spend endless hours on fixing a simple brake problem,,I done every thing and the SOB still pulls hard right when i hit the brakes.all calipers are working,new lines,i bled them the correct way 9 freakin times now.I GIVE UP.forced to take it to a shop ..man...i just hate doing that..ill buy a FORD before i go thru this crap againad as far as cutting something in half,,im thinking chainsaw will fix MYproblem

 

[hotmtrsports]

The distribution switch or proportioning valve is to balance the front and rear brakes. It does not take into account the left and right caliper distribution so I don't believe that will be helping with this.

Also, I've never heard of a "loaded" caliper coming with brake pads. That's a new one for me!

Chuck M

 

[JohnZ]

Our 81 was pulling to the right no matter what I did then I was told to replace the distrubition switch which controls the amount of pressure to each caliper, Just think about it , it maybe a possiblity

That switch has no valving function whatsoever, and doesn't control or affect distribution of brake fluid to any component; it's simply an electrical switch, and lights the "Brake" warning light in the cluster if there's a difference in fluid pressure between the front system and the rear system. It has nothing to do with brake system performance.