When Good Chevelles Turn Bad

[Blue_69_malibu]

Dave and Andy:

Many thanks for the phone consults yesterday as I was losing my mind somewhat.

The stereo install is going rather well.....maybe even somewhat better than expected. The harness for the new stereo has been installed and is pretty much ready to go. The head unit from RetroSound is basically ready.....and just waiting for the rest of the dash to get back together. The rear Infinity 6x9 speakers have the wires run, sorted out and, while still on my kitchen table, are ready to go. Turns out I will actually be able to use the front Kenwood speakers after all....b/c I don't have A/C. Two four inch speakers sit in a bracket that mount in the spot for the original factory front center mono speaker. Sadly, the mounting bracket sent with the speakers appears to be wrong...or in need of heavy modification. I suppose that's what I get for buying something from Dixie Monte Carlo.....although they were very nice to deal with. Since they never touched the item, it's probably not really on them. Ironically enough, the speaker was dropped ship from.....Custom Auto Sound....the company I was trying to avoid. But at least there are Kenwood parts in there.

The upgrade/update of my gear shift indicator did not go so well. Truthfully, I somewhat regret starting it...but I can't really turn back now. To make this work, it looks like the entire gauge assembly must come out and the glass removed to allow insertion of the ShiftWorks sticker. It's a LOT of work for a little correctness....but that ship has left the harbor, so to speak. I think the one thing that kept me from completely freaking out or panicking is having watched Dave pull apart his dash over the years and always getting it back together.

So, once again, I started the day with a completely operable Chevelle. By mid-afternoon, she was no longer drivable or operable....but that's how these things go. At a minimum, the upgraded stereo and speakers should be well worth it....and the car is not my daily driver....and I can't drive it until April any way.

To Infinity Speakers...and Beyond

-T

[Blue_69_malibu]

Well.....two plus months have gone by and somehow, positive progress was made.

I can't say for sure whether I'd do it again, but I managed to get my gear shift indicator successfully swapped out. D, L2, and L1 all line up perfectly now. It was a lot of work and frankly, once I pulled the dash out, I doubted myself as to whether or not it would ever go back to together.....correctly or otherwise.

I was able to find a detailed electrical diagram in one of my '69 Chevelle manuals which was VERY helpful. Also, as it turns out, the back side of the dash where all the bulbs plug in is actually color coded and labeled. Back in the day, the General was an impressive "machine", IMHO.

Sometimes in life, it's better to be lucky than good....or so the saying goes. By some token of fate, one of the neighborhood regulars say me working on the car one Sunday afternoon and stopped by to investigate....and reveled that he's had CONSIDERABLE experience working on GM dashes. He came as advertised and I couldn't "hire" him fast enough. He was able to pick up where I left off....but do so during my Tax Season. Once April 15th passed, I was able to start the car. It felt great.

On to the Stereo/Speaker Install: I still have to install my stereo head unit but it's 90% done. I need to make up a bracket, plug in the head unit, install my new nobs....and that's about it.

It turns out the guys at Dixie Monte Carlo are/were tip top. Great customer service and follow through.

The folks at Custom Auto Sound.....suck. My experience with them was as unpleasant as Dave & Paul's. They sent me three different brackets....at 7-10 day intervals....none of which worked. I still had to HEAVILY modify the one bracket that was the closest. I don't see how they can advertise a custom fit application that is with or w/o A/C and be year specific....and be so far off. But it's in...and I will have front speakers.

Something TireSmoker said one day stuck in my craw and it really was great advice. That advice was to do as much as you can during the off/Winter Months. Had I done this during the Summer, the car would have been down at least a month. I spent weeks waiting for various brackets from Custom Auto Sound. It was a complete waste of time. But at least it occurred in March...and not June.

Now, To Infinity and Beyond....with Infinity 6x9s.....of course.

[MostMint]

Have you tried crutchfield.com for car audio? I can't even recall what car it was but the stuff I ordered from them was a perfect fit and came with vehicle specific instructions IIRC.

[Fred32v]

This good Chevelle is definitely turning BAD in a good way.



I know, I was there.

[ttamrettus]

This good Chevelle is definitely turning BAD in a good way.



I know, I was there.

So what were the result from being at Hutter's ?

[Blue_69_malibu]

This good Chevelle is definitely turning BAD in a good way.



I know, I was there.

So what were the result from being at Hutter's ?

As of right now, 280 HP and TQ at the rear wheels......but:

1) I still have a mild bottom end bog (like our First Lady) that won't go away until I switch to a carb with mechanical secondaries. My motor wants the A/F mixture right away and my 670 SA can't deliver it fast enough.

2) Won't impact ET too much but I'm experiencing valve float at 5800ish RPM. Motor should pull to 6200 RPM with improved valve springs.

Best ET & MPH before tune was 136.68 at 102. Car feels WAY better as it sits. Really want to get back out to Thompson but I'm in Tax Season #2 so we'll see what happens.

But it was a very fun morning....with a lot of coffee.

[ttamrettus]

That's awesome Tony.

[Basement Paul]

That puts you around 336 at the crank (figuring 20% driveline loss). That's pretty sweet power for a mild mannered small block.

-BP

[Blue_69_malibu]

That's awesome Tony.

Thanks Matt. It's taken some time (five years) but the car has turned out great so far. It's a blast to just get in and cruise.....and mash the throttle every so often, when the mood strikes me....which has been often, lately.

[Blue_69_malibu]

That puts you around 336 at the crank (figuring 20% driveline loss). That's pretty sweet power for a mild mannered small block.

-BP

Yeah...I've got pretty much every power robbing accessory but A/C on the car. I'm still using a mechanical fan (with a clutch)....but it works too damn good to change, IMHO.

Better valve springs and your carb will probably get me very close to 300HP. (pulling to 5750 RPM vs. 6200 RPM.) But that's really just something to "brag" about. 20 more HP at the top end of a dyno pull won't be as noticable on the street as getting my bottom-end bog totally eliminated. That's a stop light to stop light fix right there. (Post bog, I've got a nice, flat torque curve, FWIW.)

But again, I totally dig the car the way it is. If nothing changes, I'm a happy man.....from a Chevelle perspective, that is.