72 Corvette - Restoration Updates

[TimP]

Next task after filling the box with EP85/90 was to get the gearbox fitted and here it is on the jack, ready to go in...



...taking aim.....



... and getting some help from guiderails


..... then with a few anglo saxon words of encouragement, it's in. The transmission crossmember goes next and then comes off again when you realise that the gear lever has to go in first.


The gear lever installation is tricky, because the rods flop around and go where they shouldn't, and it helps if you have arms about 4 feet long, which fortunately I don't. I could not find any pictures or diagrams of this style of lever in any Corvette documentation but it can be found in a Chevelle manual, so perhaps that's where the box came from. (My corvette was originally built as an auto.)


Once the gear lever is installed the selector rods need to be adjusted. To do this the gear lever needs to be in the neutral position with a gauge in a slot (see arrow in pic) in the lever base to hold everything still whilst the rods are adjusted to length. It's not a fun job and can't be done off the car (I think) because the gear lever attaches to the transmission cross member. It's a tight fit and I ended up welding a length of stiff wire to the gauge to allow me to get into the slot. It's a tight fit. You can also see the reverse lever (in moving forward position) waiting for the selector rod to be inserted in the hole. (rod just below the hole).


Next: fit the starter motor, attach the gear lever surround, check the wiring, start the engine.

 

[Roscobbc]

Fortunate you have the removeable cross member..........imagine doing the job with the stock fixed crossmember and you have a big block to contend with........when you've done the job a few time you 'develop' a certain 'rhythm' in terms of achieving it. You realise that trying to remove the bellhousing to block bolts and the need for an 'S' shaped ultra thin ring or open ended spanner from under the hood is made far eaisier if you remove the shifter, rods and associated fixings and associated exhaust hanger.....and letting the rear of the gearbox/engine block drop down a little. It should be enough with multiple socket extensions, a ratchet to remove the bellhousing bolts from under neath the car.........the rest is relatively straightforward. With the big block remember to be careful with the distributor when you drop the back of the engine......also fan blades up front against the radiator.....perhaps remove both?

 

[Mad4slalom]

Next task after filling the box with EP85/90 was to get the gearbox fitted and here it is on the jack, ready to go in...

View attachment 25983

...taking aim.....

View attachment 25982

... and getting some help from guiderails
View attachment 25986

..... then with a few anglo saxon words of encouragement, it's in. The transmission crossmember goes next and then comes off again when you realise that the gear lever has to go in first.
View attachment 25981

The gear lever installation is tricky, because the rods flop around and go where they shouldn't, and it helps if you have arms about 4 feet long, which fortunately I don't. I could not find any pictures or diagrams of this style of lever in any Corvette documentation but it can be found in a Chevelle manual, so perhaps that's where the box came from. (My corvette was originally built as an auto.)
View attachment 25987

Once the gear lever is installed the selector rods need to be adjusted. To do this the gear lever needs to be in the neutral position with a gauge in a slot (see arrow in pic) in the lever base to hold everything still whilst the rods are adjusted to length. It's not a fun job and can't be done off the car (I think) because the gear lever attaches to the transmission cross member. It's a tight fit and I ended up welding a length of stiff wire to the gauge to allow me to get into the slot. It's a tight fit. You can also see the reverse lever (in moving forward position) waiting for the selector rod to be inserted in the hole. (rod just below the hole).
View attachment 25980

Next: fit the starter motor, attach the gear lever surround, check the wiring, start the engine.

Good work Tim , so you bolted bellhousing in situ then fitted clutch assembly then fitted box? . With the removeable crossmember did you find you still had to lower back of motor ? All good tips for when I do mine. ps like the home built tranny lift

 

[TimP]

Fortunate you have the removeable cross member..........imagine doing the job with the stock fixed crossmember and you have a big block to contend with........when you've done the job a few time you 'develop' a certain 'rhythm' in terms of achieving it. You realise that trying to remove the bellhousing to block bolts and the need for an 'S' shaped ultra thin ring or open ended spanner from under the hood is made far eaisier if you remove the shifter, rods and associated fixings and associated exhaust hanger.....and letting the rear of the gearbox/engine block drop down a little. It should be enough with multiple socket extensions, a ratchet to remove the bellhousing bolts from under neath the car.........the rest is relatively straightforward. With the big block remember to be careful with the distributor when you drop the back of the engine......also fan blades up front against the radiator.....perhaps remove both?

Yes - that removable cross member is a godsend. Doing this with a small block was difficult enough - I really wouldn't want to do this with something heavier.....
On reflection I could have made life easier with some special or custom made tools but all in all it wasn't too bad. What also probably made this easier was getting lots of height underneath by putting 6 inch blocks of wood under the wheels and doing lots of research. These were suitably designed to stop the car moving forward and back and one when was tied to the block to prevent any sort of rotation. I'm not a fan of getting under a car with axle stands even though I have done it a fair bit over the years.

 

[TimP]

Good work Tim , so you bolted bellhousing in situ then fitted clutch assembly then fitted box? . With the removeable crossmember did you find you still had to lower back of motor ? All good tips for when I do mine. ps like the home built tranny lift

I tried it first with the bellhousing attached to the gearbox but I couldn't get the angle right and it wouldn't go so I changed tack and separated them. I made my life a bit difficult by using a fixed stand under the back of engine to keep it in place whilst I was fitting the gearbox (held in place with the starter motor mount) which made dropping the engine any further difficult. I think the stand I had in place actually did lower the back of the engine a bit but not much, probably just enough - it took ages to get some of the bell housing bolts tightened up. I then tried it by putting the clutch release bearing in the bell housing, attached the bell housing to the back of the engine and then carefully pushed the input shaft through the bearing whilst in the bell housing and then on into the pilot bearing in the crank - I think it would be quite easy to knock the release bearing off its pivot and into the bottom of the bellhousing meaning you have to throw a six and start again.

I must admit I didn't take many pictures as I was concentrating quite a bit but the above pictures probably represent about 12 hours work - planning, trying, researching, more trying, undoing, starting again... repeat until finished... you get the picture. Underneath the car, on my back. One tip, if you haven't got a lift, is a big block of foam rubber to put under your head otherwise your neck muscles complain for days afterwards.

The homemade gearbox jack worked really well although it probably looks a little Heath Robinson. I used it twice for the gearbox and 3 or 4 times for the transmission cross member which came off a few times during the install. Hopefully neither will have to come off again for quite a while but if it does I will know how to do it quicker next time

One other thing. The gearbox had a new slip yolk bearing. The gearbox came back dry from the overhaul company so to lubricate the new bearing, which is a tight fit on the new slip yolk, I used a syringe to inject some oil passed the slip yolk seal. I think if you just oil the slip yolk itself the seal at the back strips off the oil as the yolk enters the tail stock - so I hope that this method (please correct me if I'm wrong!) at least got a little oil on to the bearing before the main oil starts sloshing around.

 

[Mad4slalom]

I tried it first with the bellhousing attached to the gearbox but I couldn't get the angle right and it wouldn't go so I changed tack and separated them. I made my life a bit difficult by using a fixed stand under the back of engine to keep it in place whilst I was fitting the gearbox (held in place with the starter motor mount) which made dropping the engine any further difficult. I think the stand I had in place actually did lower the back of the engine a bit but not much, probably just enough - it took ages to get some of the bell housing bolts tightened up. I then tried it by putting the clutch release bearing in the bell housing, attached the bell housing to the back of the engine and then carefully pushed the input shaft through the bearing whilst in the bell housing and then on into the pilot bearing in the crank - I think it would be quite easy to knock the release bearing off its pivot and into the bottom of the bellhousing meaning you have to throw a six and start again.

I must admit I didn't take many pictures as I was concentrating quite a bit but the above pictures probably represent about 12 hours work - planning, trying, researching, more trying, undoing, starting again... repeat until finished... you get the picture. Underneath the car, on my back. One tip, if you haven't got a lift, is a big block of foam rubber to put under your head otherwise your neck muscles complain for days afterwards.

The homemade gearbox jack worked really well although it probably looks a little Heath Robinson. I used it twice for the gearbox and 3 or 4 times for the transmission cross member which came off a few times during the install. Hopefully neither will have to come off again for quite a while but if it does I will know how to do it quicker next time

One other thing. The gearbox had a new slip yolk bearing. The gearbox came back dry from the overhaul company so to lubricate the new bearing, which is a tight fit on the new slip yolk, I used a syringe to inject some oil passed the slip yolk seal. I think if you just oil the slip yolk itself the seal at the back strips off the oil as the yolk enters the tail stock - so I hope that this method (please correct me if I'm wrong!) at least got a little oil on to the bearing before the main oil starts sloshing around.

Wow .still sounds a bit of a faff. You fid well Tim

 

[TimP]

Thanks - proof of the pudding is when I connect the prop shaft and get the engine started. If you are considering doing something similar to your car I would suggest that you look up TheCorvetteBen on You Tube. His series of videos are very good and this weeks and the next one are about putting a manual back into a '73 model with the fixed cross member. He's very experienced so it will be interesting to see how he approaches it.

 

[Oneball]

It’s not that bad with the fixed crossmember. Undo the prop from the yoke, remove the gear lever, undo the box from the bell housing, remove the mount, slide the box back and it’ll fall out. Getting it back in is a little trickier but if you make a cradle so the box sits in something it’s not bad either.

 

[teamzr1]

If thinking people had a hard time taking a tranny out, this might make you feel better

Back in late 1960s I had a 1957 Chevy BelAir and was at a drag strip racing and the tranny went out when going home
I knew it was going bad and by luck I had bought a used one from a junkyard, and it was in the trunk
Also had tools in the trunk
No jack stands, just the old type of GM jack in trunk
Took rear wheels off and set them so if car came off the jack, the tires would save my ass by not falling to the ground

So on the side of the road which was gravel in the dark with a flashlight in my mouth I swapped the manual tranny by myself
Lucky this had a rear mount welded to frame as no way I am weighing like 120 pounds would have got the tranny up myself without having
the rear mount taking some of the tranny weight

Was a bitch and taking long time, in getting the spine of the tranny shaft through the clutch disc and end of it matching the pilot bearing
Needed like quarter of an inch more forward for tranny to button up to bell housing

Took me like hours doing this myself and in all that time not one person driving by stopped and asking if I could use some help
Whole body felt like a truck ran over me and the gravel did a number to my back and ass

 

[Mad4slalom]

Thanks - proof of the pudding is when I connect the prop shaft and get the engine started. If you are considering doing something similar to your car I would suggest that you look up TheCorvetteBen on You Tube. His series of videos are very good and this weeks and the next one are about putting a manual back into a '73 model with the fixed cross member. He's very experienced so it will be interesting to see how he approaches it.

I am not up for jiggling it around that crossmember , I bought the flange kit to make it bolt in and out ,
So when I get my courage up, that fixed one is getting cut out .

 

[Mad4slalom]

If thinking people had a hard time taking a tranny out, this might make you feel better

Back in late 1960s I had a 1957 Chevy BelAir and was at a drag strip racing and the tranny went out when going home
I knew it was going bad and by luck I had bought a used one from a junkyard, and it was in the trunk
Also had tools in the trunk
No jack stands, just the old type of GM jack in trunk
Took rear wheels off and set them so if car came off the jack, the tires would save my ass by not falling to the ground

So on the side of the road which was gravel in the dark with a flashlight in my mouth I swapped the manual tranny by myself
Lucky this had a rear mount welded to frame as no way I am weighing like 120 pounds would have got the tranny up myself without having
the rear mount taking some of the tranny weight

Was a bitch and taking long time, in getting the spine of the tranny shaft through the clutch disc and end of it matching the pilot bearing
Needed like quarter of an inch more forward for tranny to button up to bell housing

Took me like hours doing this myself and in all that time not one person driving by stopped and asking if I could use some help
Whole body felt like a truck ran over me and the gravel did a number to my back and ass

Well at least someone didnt stop by with a brace and say, “ well if you ‘re having the tranny, I’m having the wheels !”

 

[CaptainK]

I am not up for jiggling it around that crossmember , I bought the flange kit to make it bolt in and out ,
So when I get my courage up, that fixed one is getting cut out .

Nice one. Where did you get your kit from in the end ?

 

[Mad4slalom]

Nice one. Where did you get your kit from in the end ?

American power train

 

[TimP]

Whilst waiting for a new engine wiring loom.... there are other things to be done, like the interior trim.

Not surprisingly most of the interior of my car was in a pretty poor state. Most trim panels were cracked or corroded or both. All are faded and have a different shade of red dependent on how sheltered from the sun each part was.

Here is the trim piece that goes along the rear just behind the seats. It's rather dirty and had a number of kinks in the side, the attachment holes are cracked, ripped and distended. Otherwise it was just fine.

First thought was to bin them but decided to make the most of a sunny afternoon (more Kinks) and try a quick repair and see if something could be salvaged.

First task was to straighten it out using a heat gun, a straight edge and some clamps.


Then remove any misshapen areas, again using a heat gun, a clamp and something to spread the load - a tuppenny piece did the trick.



.....then glass fibre the rear to fix the cracks and get some strength back into the attachment areas. Then fill any remaining cracks with Tiger Seal which is flexible and will 'give' with the vinyl.


After drilling a hole and giving it a coat of plastic adhesion enhancer, then primer and the then a gloss top coat. it looked like this.... See next page...

 

[TimP]

... much improved and although far from concours, quite usable


The side pieces that fit to the rear door frame were repaired in the same way.




Next are the two trim pieces that go around the top of the removable rear window hinges....

 

[TimP]

... and here is the rest of the rear trim.... Same process as before, although I think these were in a slightly worse original condition.

As taken from the car...



Repairs ...


Repaint.....


... and in the garden. One of them has a fold in the trim where the glass fibre backing had been damaged at some point - not much that can be done about that. However, the back has been strengthened and it's more than strong enough now. Actually very pleased on how they have come out.


If anyone is interested, a shaded part of the steering column, which hadn't faded, was a very close match to Mini Chilli red, which was what I have used here. It looks a little shrill in bright sunlight but inside it dulls down a good deal and I think it looks very nice, and a good contrast to the Classic White exterior, which is my latest thought (of about 296 thoughts over the last four years) on what the final colour should be.

 

[johng]

Looking good Tim, but I'm starting to think that possibly you might not quite make this year's Nationals again!

 

[Chuffer]

... and here is the rest of the rear trim.... Same process as before, although I think these were in a slightly worse original condition.

As taken from the car...

View attachment 26420 View attachment 26421

Repairs ...
View attachment 26422

Repaint.....
View attachment 26423 View attachment 26424

... and in the garden. One of them has a fold in the trim where the glass fibre backing had been damaged at some point - not much that can be done about that. However, the back has been strengthened and it's more than strong enough now. Actually very pleased on how they have come out.
View attachment 26425

If anyone is interested, a shaded part of the steering column, which hadn't faded, was a very close match to Mini Chilli red, which was what I have used here. It looks a little shrill in bright sunlight but inside it dulls down a good deal and I think it looks very nice, and a good contrast to the Classic White exterior, which is my latest thought (of about 296 thoughts over the last four years) on what the final colour should be.

Looking really good Tim . It`s amazing the good off the shelf colours you can pick up with a little trial and error . I refreshed all the interior trim cappings on the A and B posts and T Top interior trims with Ford Sierra Biege from Halfords . As near as dammit a dead ringer for GM factory finish on 1980 C3 .

 

[Mad4slalom]

... and here is the rest of the rear trim.... Same process as before, although I think these were in a slightly worse original condition.

As taken from the car...

View attachment 26420 View attachment 26421

Repairs ...
View attachment 26422

Repaint.....
View attachment 26423 View attachment 26424

... and in the garden. One of them has a fold in the trim where the glass fibre backing had been damaged at some point - not much that can be done about that. However, the back has been strengthened and it's more than strong enough now. Actually very pleased on how they have come out.
View attachment 26425

If anyone is interested, a shaded part of the steering column, which hadn't faded, was a very close match to Mini Chilli red, which was what I have used here. It looks a little shrill in bright sunlight but inside it dulls down a good deal and I think it looks very nice, and a good contrast to the Classic White exterior, which is my latest thought (of about 296 thoughts over the last four years) on what the final colour should be.

Stirling work tim , classic white over red interior ? A great choice

 

[TimP]

Looking good Tim, but I'm starting to think that possibly you might not quite make this year's Nationals again!

The Nationals was always going to be a tall order but I'm now aiming for the Goodwood Revival in September. If I can get some quality time in during the summer it might just be possible....