Another small job that will make things much more comfy for my gorgeous passenger...

Finally tracked down a passenger side footwell vent for mine. My car was originally supplied with a/c, but at some point in its history a previous owner decided that removal was a better option than repair. All good, however they didn't bother to close up all the holes, so our first winter was a little chilly with ice-cold air blasting into the footwell via the completely open and unrestricted vent ducting. And to make matters worse, when I closed MY vent to reduce the cold air it effectively doubled the flow into the passenger footwell. A few early trips to car meets were completed with my wife wrapped up in a blanket 😆

Anyhow...after a 5 hour round trip to pick up the vent & cable, I spent another few hours cleaning, repairing and freeing up them up. It took a bit of mucking around making it fit because the one I got came from a '64 Impala so the cable length was different. Installed it, got my mate to cut a hole in the kick panel he'd made me to block off that great hole, and Bam 👊 - mission complete.

See photos...

Nice job on the kickpad N vent.  Is your entire heater core missing?  No heater or defroster?

Edited January 12, 20242 yr by JUSTA6

8 hours ago, JUSTA6 said:

Nice job on the kickpad N vent.  Is your entire heater core missing?  No heater or defroster?

No mate, all that is intact.

It was just the wide open vent that was the issue. All good now😀

 

On another note (to be clear, this is something I have ordered READY to do to the car, but have not yet actually DONE😆)...

I've been recommended (by a very good source, I believe) to switch from using NGKBP5S spark plugs, to NGKBP4FS. Also, to set the gap at .030" maximum. Any of you have any experience with these?

Same source (who has been referred to me as a bit of a wizard when out comes to old v8's - specialises ONLY in carbs and distributors) has recommended some work on the "failed" distributor I have. Says they are a Chinese (of course🙄) copy of a Delco-Remy, and as such will be set up ideally for leaded petrol (as per the original distributor it is cloned from). Says timing advance will range from 6º to about 36-38º, which isn't suited to unleaded. He believes they should be 10º at idle (vacuum blocked), and range to 32º max. Apparently he makes modifications to the mechanical advance to achieve this, with good results.

Does this make sense to anyone? I'd like to hear any experience or knowledge you may have on this. TBH since I have an almost brand new sitting at home that is currently useless to me, I'm thinking of getting it done in any case. The new distributor in the car is working perfectly atm (I think, anyway), so I can simply swap over to the other one once it's "tricked" and assess the benefits or otherwise🤷‍♂️

He also says that ideal lead resistance should be less than 1.5 Ohms (mine are all < 1 Ohm) - and if they're greater than 5 Ohm they aren't worth using!

Obviously my car is running a standard (non HEI) ignition system, which this information is all specifically relevant to.

Very good question for last Indian I feel 

does changing to a 4 from a 5 mean a lower heat plug ?????

Edited January 13, 20242 yr by 64 kiwi boni

36 minutes ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

Very good question for last Indian I feel 

does changing to a 4 from a 5 mean a lower heat plug ?????

No, it's higher in the heat range

8 hours ago, Bonne61 said:

On another note (to be clear, this is something I have ordered READY to do to the car, but have not yet actually DONE😆)...

I've been recommended (by a very good source, I believe) to switch from using NGKBP5S spark plugs, to NGKBP4FS. Also, to set the gap at .030" maximum. Any of you have any experience with these?

Same source (who has been referred to me as a bit of a wizard when out comes to old v8's - specialises ONLY in carbs and distributors) has recommended some work on the "failed" distributor I have. Says they are a Chinese (of course🙄) copy of a Delco-Remy, and as such will be set up ideally for leaded petrol (as per the original distributor it is cloned from). Says timing advance will range from 6º to about 36-38º, which isn't suited to unleaded. He believes they should be 10º at idle (vacuum blocked), and range to 32º max. Apparently he makes modifications to the mechanical advance to achieve this, with good results.

Does this make sense to anyone? I'd like to hear any experience or knowledge you may have on this. TBH since I have an almost brand new sitting at home that is currently useless to me, I'm thinking of getting it done in any case. The new distributor in the car is working perfectly atm (I think, anyway), so I can simply swap over to the other one once it's "tricked" and assess the benefits or otherwise🤷‍♂️

He also says that ideal lead resistance should be less than 1.5 Ohms (mine are all < 1 Ohm) - and if they're greater than 5 Ohm they aren't worth using!

Obviously my car is running a standard (non HEI) ignition system, which this information is all specifically relevant to.

Hey @Last Indian, how does this sound to you?

8 hours ago, Bonne61 said:

On another note (to be clear, this is something I have ordered READY to do to the car, but have not yet actually DONE😆)...

I've been recommended (by a very good source, I believe) to switch from using NGKBP5S spark plugs, to NGKBP4FS. Also, to set the gap at .030" maximum. Any of you have any experience with these?

Same source (who has been referred to me as a bit of a wizard when out comes to old v8's - specialises ONLY in carbs and distributors) has recommended some work on the "failed" distributor I have. Says they are a Chinese (of course🙄) copy of a Delco-Remy, and as such will be set up ideally for leaded petrol (as per the original distributor it is cloned from). Says timing advance will range from 6º to about 36-38º, which isn't suited to unleaded. He believes they should be 10º at idle (vacuum blocked), and range to 32º max. Apparently he makes modifications to the mechanical advance to achieve this, with good results.

Does this make sense to anyone? I'd like to hear any experience or knowledge you may have on this. TBH since I have an almost brand new sitting at home that is currently useless to me, I'm thinking of getting it done in any case. The new distributor in the car is working perfectly atm (I think, anyway), so I can simply swap over to the other one once it's "tricked" and assess the benefits or otherwise🤷‍♂️

He also says that ideal lead resistance should be less than 1.5 Ohms (mine are all < 1 Ohm) - and if they're greater than 5 Ohm they aren't worth using!

Obviously my car is running a standard (non HEI) ignition system, which this information is all specifically relevant to.

Hey @Last Indian, how does this sound to you?

7 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

Very good question for last Indian I feel 

does changing to a 4 from a 5 mean a lower heat plug ?????

With most plugs Higher # is hotter, lower colder.  Timing advance or retard is the biggest reason to change plug heat range. Advancing timing raises combustion temperatures, calling for colder plugs. Retarding the timing lowers combustion temperatures, calling for hotter plugs.  Rich or lean conditions are also another factor. In small engines (such as my snowmobile) I keep 2 sets of plugs.  Hotter 81's are for wide open racing or flat open high speed riding, 77's are for slow speed trail riding where you need more power/torque. 81's will foul if used for trail riding and 77's will not give you full top end speed. 

10 hours ago, Bonne61 said:

Hey @Last Indian, how does this sound to you?

Paul, spark plugs & distributors, those are Both a kind of you need to be there to see & answer, but I’ll do my best. First do you know why you run colder or hotter plugs? I always ran the coldest plugs I could get away with, even if I needed to change them or clean them more often. Why? Colder plugs deliver the hottest spark/energy to the combustion mixture. While hotter plugs give the coldest spark/energy to the mixture. Sounds backwards I know. That’s basically it in a nutshell. Their single purpose for that is the deposits that buildup on the porcelain around the electrode that can cause fouling & pre or post ignition. Those two occurrences are much more typical with leaded fuel than with non leaded. So unless you run a lead additive or burn oil a hotter plug is really counterproductive. People run them for other reasons, but the variation of the  whole design is to deliver a weaker or stronger spark to control deposits.

Distributors, what you described your wizard to indicate I would agree with. There are way to limit the internal advance of those distributors & I never liked vacuum advances so I always delete them if I ran a Delco, which wasn’t often. Non leaded fuel & a normal cam profile will not like a lot of timing initial or advanced. So I would look at 8 – 12 for initial & 28 – 32 for total. My “69” Z/28 was a big lift cam, lots of overlap & duration. Big carb! I ran 20 – 25 initial & 45 total, which was all mechanical & full advanced @ 3500 rpm. I could run that because the fuel charge was so dense & fresh detonation just didn’t happen.

11 hours ago, JUSTA6 said:

With most plugs Higher # is hotter, lower colder.  Timing advance or retard is the biggest reason to change plug heat range. Advancing timing raises combustion temperatures, calling for colder plugs. Retarding the timing lowers combustion temperatures, calling for hotter plugs.  Rich or lean conditions are also another factor. In small engines (such as my snowmobile) I keep 2 sets of plugs.  Hotter 81's are for wide open racing or flat open high speed riding, 77's are for slow speed trail riding where you need more power/torque. 81's will foul if used for trail riding and 77's will not give you full top end speed. 

NGK are opposite apparently - as per this 👇

"The heat rating of each NGK spark plug is indicated by a number; lower numbers indicate a hotter type, higher numbers indicate a colder type."

6 hours ago, Last Indian said:

Paul, spark plugs & distributors, those are Both a kind of you need to be there to see & answer, but I’ll do my best. First do you know why you run colder or hotter plugs? I always ran the coldest plugs I could get away with, even if I needed to change them or clean them more often. Why? Colder plugs deliver the hottest spark/energy to the combustion mixture. While hotter plugs give the coldest spark/energy to the mixture. Sounds backwards I know. That’s basically it in a nutshell. Their single purpose for that is the deposits that buildup on the porcelain around the electrode that can cause fouling & pre or post ignition. Those two occurrences are much more typical with leaded fuel than with non leaded. So unless you run a lead additive or burn oil a hotter plug is really counterproductive. People run them for other reasons, but the variation of the  whole design is to deliver a weaker or stronger spark to control deposits.

Distributors, what you described your wizard to indicate I would agree with. There are way to limit the internal advance of those distributors & I never liked vacuum advances so I always delete them if I ran a Delco, which wasn’t often. Non leaded fuel & a normal cam profile will not like a lot of timing initial or advanced. So I would look at 8 – 12 for initial & 28 – 32 for total. My “69” Z/28 was a big lift cam, lots of overlap & duration. Big carb! I ran 20 – 25 initial & 45 total, which was all mechanical & full advanced @ 3500 rpm. I could run that because the fuel charge was so dense & fresh detonation just didn’t happen.

Thanks for that.

It sounds like to will definitely be worth getting the distributor done. Better than sitting in a box doing nothing.

I hear what you say about the plugs, your explanation makes sense. I guess they  aren't a big issue, because at @$50 I can just try and see what happens.

The engine has been built to run on straight unleaded, no additive required. And thankfully it doest burn (or leak, for that matter👏) any oil atm.

Distributor advance curves are a can of worms. I also like straight mechanical advance BUT vacuum advance is about better fuel economy. I told you about Performance Ignition Services in Melbourne - their reputation is second to none but let's see what your wizard can do.

I'm sure to get some backlash from this (which I invite,) but unless you're driving the thing hard, as long as the advance is reasonable and the timing is sensible you should get away with the factory settings or a modest tweaking. It's too easy to get caught up in endless conversations & opinions. Down the rabbit hole I believe is the modern way to spend hours diving into forums & discussions regarding incremental  improvements to performance. I had to take a deep breath and step away many times!

Oh, nice job on the fresh air vent. Mine work great - heaps of air, not like a modern car.

Pete’s correct. Unless you have a distributor machine, which I did in the day, it’s very difficult if not impossible to get the advance curve you need or want. It’s also very time consuming, as you need to know the torque/hp profile of the engine. Plus for a basic stock motor like yours it pretty self defeating. You also need all the pieces parts to do that work. Different strength springs, weights that are different in weight so their centrifugal force activities at different times/speed. Even a mill or drill press if you need to modify an advance plate.

These are things you do for racing just to gain a half second or for big cam street engines that can take advantage of that, as well as drink a lot of fuel! It’s not really something you need for a cruiser.

Edited January 14, 20242 yr by Last Indian

14 hours ago, Fitzy said:

Distributor advance curves are a can of worms. I also like straight mechanical advance BUT vacuum advance is about better fuel economy. I told you about Performance Ignition Services in Melbourne - their reputation is second to none but let's see what your wizard can do.

I'm sure to get some backlash from this (which I invite,) but unless you're driving the thing hard, as long as the advance is reasonable and the timing is sensible you should get away with the factory settings or a modest tweaking. It's too easy to get caught up in endless conversations & opinions. Down the rabbit hole I believe is the modern way to spend hours diving into forums & discussions regarding incremental  improvements to performance. I had to take a deep breath and step away many times!

Oh, nice job on the fresh air vent. Mine work great - heaps of air, not like a modern car.

Yes mate,

I tend to agree. Since replacing the distributor with one that works as it should, and checking all that could/should be adjusted, the car is running better than it ever has.

It starts first time every time cold, I can drive off smoothly whilst it's still "warming up", it idles and cruises perfectly, accelerates strongly from 40mph to 100mph, at which time the car has more appetite than me for continuing (at least until I get the suspension a bit firmer, anyway😳).

And btw I've just refilled for the second time since it's been sorted, and the fuel consumption is around 17//100km, which I feel is fantastic for what it is!

I'm not really chasing anything in particular and no, the car doesn't get driven hard, but thought since I have that distributor sitting around that is useless in it's current state, I may as well give someone a chance to improve it? I have looked into your PIS in Melbourne (thanks for the referral), but as this guy is just down the road I thought I'd give him a go. He has all the tools, equipment and experience (apparently), plus a lot of good reviews from local people.

The car is a cruiser, but the motor has been built with a nod to the performance side...dished pistons, mild cam, shaved heads and block, etc. No drag car, but makes @ 360HP/440 ft/lb so no slouch either😃

5 hours ago, Bonne61 said:

Yes mate,

I tend to agree. Since replacing the distributor with one that works as it should, and checking all that could/should be adjusted, the car is running better than it ever has.

It starts first time every time cold, I can drive off smoothly whilst it's still "warming up", it idles and cruises perfectly, accelerates strongly from 40mph to 100mph, at which time the car has more appetite than me for continuing (at least until I get the suspension a bit firmer, anyway😳).

And btw I've just refilled for the second time since it's been sorted, and the fuel consumption is around 17//100km, which I feel is fantastic for what it is!

I'm not really chasing anything in particular and no, the car doesn't get driven hard, but thought since I have that distributor sitting around that is useless in it's current state, I may as well give someone a chance to improve it? I have looked into your PIS in Melbourne (thanks for the referral), but as this guy is just down the road I thought I'd give him a go. He has all the tools, equipment and experience (apparently), plus a lot of good reviews from local people.

The car is a cruiser, but the motor has been built with a nod to the performance side...dished pistons, mild cam, shaved heads and block, etc. No drag car, but makes @ 360HP/440 ft/lb so no slouch either😃

paul, when you get the spare dissy sorted, can you post what the guy does to it ? it would be a great referance for future 

4 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

paul, when you get the spare dissy sorted, can you post what the guy does to it ? it would be a great referance for future 

No worries 🤙

Now for something completely different...

A while back I was chasing recommendations for seatbelt suppliers. I was tossing up whether I should buy Australian Complied belts, but in the end I didn't bother as I didn't want belts mucking up my beautiful pillar-free Ponti. And if I was only going to fit 2 point belts, it was a wasted argument because even though the belts themselves would be compliant, fitting them into the outboard seats of my car was NOT🤷‍♂️

Ergo, I went 2 point belts with Aircraft style stainless buckles, that actually look like they came with the car. (Mind you, I'd have rather not had any in it at all, but my gorgeous passenger insisted 😆)

Ended up finding what I needed at Morris Classic Concepts in the US. Sarah (Morris) was very helpful, pricing was really good, and manufacturing and delivery happened in a very reasonable time frame. She assured me that whilst the belts obviously wouldn't comply with our ADR's (we have to have black plastic buckles with red release buttons), they did meet all necessary US Compliance Regulations, and that they had sold thousands of sets with no issues.

The finish and quality is excellent, and she spent a bit time with me going back and forth getting the colour match right.

I've spent the last 2 days (had to carry the job over into Day 2, as the swear jar filled up pretty quickly 🤬) installing the front belts. Just about broke all of my fingers at the knuckles trying to "guide" the things through the seat frame, but in the end it all looks good. Installation was completed to Australian Standard as far as prescribed angles, distances and anchor points.

Once I get over the trauma I'll complete the job and install the rears, at which time I'll post those results also😊

 

very sexy !!!

Looks Great !!👏

Lookin good bro!

Well, well - all done!

The rears were a lot easier, although I had some issues with the length (happens sometimes, I'm told🤷‍♂️).

I'd been advised I would need 60" for the front and 74" for the rear, but this turned out to be incorrect.

After checking around Australia to find someone who could shorten the 74"'s up for me, my wife had an epiphany...why not mix the sets around, see how they work? So, a bit of time and sweat later I had the fronts with 60" buckles and 74" tails, and the rears with 74" buckles and 60" tails. And, that works! Perfectly. All belt buckles sit between the body centreline and the right hip, depending upon occupant size (we're both pretty compact so for us they sit to the right hip. More "normal people (fat bastards, I say😆) they sit more centred. Photos attached.

She's not only good looking, but clever too 🥰

Oh, I found these OEM tags under the seat too, while I was working away. Cool, hey?

 

Round 2...

As some of you may remember I had some Bangin' Headlights on pre-order?

I think I mentioned earlier, they're led but at 4300k emit a warm white light that emulates the original sealed beams.

They arrived, so what else to do but install them?

First up, they are a quality product. Australian made (company based in WA), glass lenses, Aus-complied, an EXACT replacement fit for the OEM halogens. Took all of an hour to fit, including improvements to one of the earths, and terminating the high beam plug and leads that are now redundant.

I fitted them with the supplied H4 Splitters, which allow you to run all 4 lights on both low and high beam. As you'll see from the photos that's not needed for lighting power itself, but sure looks cool 😎

Did a short night run to test them - clearly I need to adjust them somewhat, as the CAA have already been in touch stating that I'm making it difficult for pilots on their landing approach 🤷‍♂️ National Parks also reckon I'm mucking up the bats sleeping patterns too

 The difference is absolutely outstanding, I'm sure you'll agree. And at around AUD$150 per light ($560 the set, splitters being optional), IMO they are excellent value. Rated for 8,000 hours, the globes are also replaceable.

 

I also found an original tag stuffed inside my rear seat. It listed a number of option codes, so it was obviously something to do with that car's particular build. Frosty was good enough to decode it for me and when I checked the car's option codes on it's ID plate, they concurred. This was back when humans built cars and they had to write things down. In contrast, I think a new VW Golf rolls out the door every 36 seconds or something.

Before going in for my surgery, AGAIN.   I used my gift certificate from the calendar contest.  Was going to expire soon. Picked up a new Flexalite nylon fan for the Sunbird. Suppose to be the lightest fan on the market that also wins in moving the highest volume of air. Please run a LIL cooler this summer.  Picked up a new idler arm for the GTO to maybe help the 60's series tires on the front NOT follow road lines so badly.  It's a 2 hands at all times beast.