Enroute's '81 Z28 rejuvenation

[Enroute]

JULY 2008.

A quick chronological list.

This is an ongoing project which gets worked on as time becomes available.

It all started when I purchased the car back in 1995.

And then...
-Installed a true dual stainless exhaust for performance and longevity in 1996.
-Pulled the orig TH350 and swapped in a 700R4 with 2500 stall in 1997.
-Took out the original 350 SBC (in my garage now) and installed a "built" 327 in 1998.
-Painted the car and did some interior, trim work, weatherstripping, brake lines, etc, in 2002.
-and now in 2008 redoing most of the above work myself to get it done right and make it the way it should have been in the first place.


QUICK REFERENCE LINKS.
(a) I may be posting quoted text from a few key posts throughout this thread for quick and convenient reference.
(b) Shown below are a few threads (created JUNE/JULY 2008) which have brought me to the current status (or point) in the rejuvenation of my 81Z.

Getting Vortec Heads

Hyd roller or flat tappet cam for a 327

Help Pick a cam for my 327

HP & TQ estimates



-------------------
The driving force

rejuvenate verb [T]

1 to make someone look or feel young and energetic again:
She felt rejuvenated by her nightcap in the Bahamas.

2 to make an organization or system more effective, productive and modern by introducing new methods and ideas:
He has decided to rejuvenate the team by bringing in a lot of new, young players.

----------------------------------------------------------------------


Over the course of the next 5 months or 5 seasons or whatever I will be posting to this thread as progress is made in the rejuvenation of my 81Z28. Enjoy.

[Enroute]

Current status:


early JULY 2008
-tore down 327 to short block.

JULY 16 2008
-ordered cam, intake, valve covers, gaskets, etc for the top end rebuild.
-purchased a few months earlier: headers


JULY 30 2008
-parts came in


AUGUST 8 2008
-picked up the Vortec heads
-could only be safely machined down to 59cc's instead of planned 56.
-so the new CR will be 9.45:1 instead of 9.77.
-power output should be the same given the small cam chosen...see link above

FEBRUARY 15 2009
Picked up a 400 SBC for my long term plan.
Stuff came with:
-stock bore 2 bolt 817 400 block
-new KB -22cc pistons
-new SCAT 5.7" stroker rods
-stock 400 crank turned 30/30
-rings, brgs to match above
-new oil pump
-plus complete 400 heads, flex/balancer, intake,
Q-Jet, valve covers, etc.


DECEMBER 3 2010
No major work done yet.
Contemplating switching cam to a hydraulic roller setup: old school OEM retrofit.
See thread by: olstyle Retrofit Roller Cam Install

MARCH 11 2011
Selling the 327 short block and will build the 400 SBC. See today's post.

JUNE 14 2011
400 short block finished. See today's post.

[Enroute]

See pics below.


1996 - all original




1997 - new SS exhaust (tail pipes) Car looks half decent...well sort of at least in this picture.
60-60 car, no make that a 100-100 car. It needed paint badly.
Must admit though...the late 2nd Gen Z28 is a good looking car.




1999/2000/2001: pi lingering around. Hang in there baby, hang in there!!!





Late 2001

Time to apply RockFord philosophy and lose pi

Result: pi gone. Life sucking black hole void forever history.
Ride stays and things set in motion to splash the ride in factory charcoal grey.




2002 New paint job (base/clear) in factory charcoal grey. Freakin' gorgeous
Also, 2007 with IROC rims.







THE LAZY 327 prior to teardown. JUNE 2008




Partial tear down JULY 2008




Piston #2 closeup


...

[woody80z28]

Can't wait to see more.

[Enroute]

Thank you onovakind67 for the TQ-HP curves!!


I can say that the 441 power curve shown below is slightly optimistic The fuel curve was hard to optimize given the poor combustion thanks to the really low 8.2CR and 306 adv dur camshaft. The engine needed A LOT of timing to run decent. The exhaust stunk huge and it kept popping through the exhaust...maybe due to setup and/or mismatched parts (low CR & BIG cam).

One thing I've learned....327's are very picky when it comes to mismatched parts. They don't have the cubes that a 383 or 406 SBC utilize to cover up and hide poorly matched components. I'm NEVER building another 327. If this car ever gets another motor it's going to be at least a 383 but am hoping for a 406 SBC!!!


I am expecting the Vortec combo to be AT LEAST what's shown below given the efficiency of the heads and the work that has been done to them. By comparison I am expecting excellent throttle response and street manners.

I don't believe the car will ever be on a chassis dyno so my "butt-o-meter" will have fun comparing.





Time will tell and I'll report once the long block is assembled and the car is running.

[David Hartley]

You got it lookin real nice , I like the stance.

[Enroute]

Thanks.

I must admit something though...those IROC rims are not actually on the car. They are set in front of the wheels which are mounted on the car. At first glance it may not be noticeable but if you look again you can sort of see the tops of the tires *Notice the bricks just behind each wheel...they're there to keep them from rolling down the driveway*

When they actually go on the car the body will lower about 3/4" and the tires will be "set" in under the fenders which should complete the look. So basically it will look the same but be proper.


A few links discussing IROC 16X8 rims on a 2nd Gen:

Clearance Issues
Clearance with 1LE upgrade
Clearance with control arm

[Enroute]

Yup. The heater core that went about 3.5 yrs ago is finally being changed


NastyZ28 heater core link

Also to add to the above are some postings I saved from waayy back in 2004 when I first posted about replacing my heater core.


Posted by fellow board members:


Following the directions in the link above also consider:

1. When you disconnect the core hoses, disconnect the top one first at the engine end, blow air through it to push the coolant through the heater core and back to the engine. You can get it almost dry this way. (Avoids spillage in the car later!)

2. The kick panel does not have to be removed on the passenger side but it will almost certainly get scratched up when you pull the big duct box out from under the dash. Removing the passenger side kick panel will give you a little more room and you won't have to worry about scratching it. You may be able to cover it with a piece of cardboard to prevent damage.
(I scratched mine. )

3. If your car has Air...
One of the 3 studs(lower one on the inboard side) that goes through the firewall and connects with the air box on the engine side is a B!TCH to get at. You CAN get to it from under the car with a flex-head socket wrench. You will probably need to have it lit up with a flashlight from above to see it.


Definitely take out the Passenger seat and the console. You will need the room to work.
Plan on spending an entire day on this job. You will need a second person to assist with the reassembly of the ductbox to the firewall. The rest of it is a one-monkey job.


In Addition:
I would highly recommend that you do the full dash-pull. You can replace the front speakers at this time and you will get more room.
Real PITA: Yep... SuperBig. Plan on an All weekend love fest with your car. It is easier to pull the inner fender panel and battery than try to reach unreachable bolts.
Good Luck! I did mine while the whole car was apart and would cringe at replacing the sucker.
Finally: If your car leaks oil, steam clean the whole area at a car wash before you go into it... It sucks looking for #8 bolts covered in grime.

[Enroute]

Another thing I might as well do since the car is temporarily down and out.

Install one of these:


I actually have one...just haven't installed it yet.


A few years back I changed the Air Cond return style factory mech fuel pump for an aftermarket Edelbrock type. The Edelbrock has no return line feature so naturally I plugged up the return line. Am not so quite sure if that was a good thing to do

At the same time I had the pickup in the tank pulled out and removed the "sock" filter. I replaced the tank pickup with a 1/2" pipe and also plumbed in a 1/2 return for future considerations. I also removed the factory fuel lines and put in a single run of 1/2" stainless fuel line (Spring of 2002)

New Gas Tank Pickup and Return Lines. Both 1/2". Pic: Spring 2002.




Pic of 1/2" SS line installed. Note comments below pic.
Installation date: Spring 2002. Pic Spring 2002.



COPY of letter I sent to Inline Tube regarding fitment of their 1/2" SS fuel line because they simply were not grasping what I was trying to tell them over the telephone...or just weren't listening. May 2002.
Please find attached one collage photo in digital (jpg) format. The photo has numeric flags which are explained below. The photo is best observed at 100% view (due to high jpg compression).

I hope this helps in my explanation!!!

#1: Rear axle, passenger side...also identifed as right side of car.

#2: Rear sub-frame, right side. Fuel line running along on inner side.

#3: Line bends upwards

#4: Continuation of bend at #3. The orange rag is wedged in-between the parking brake cable and fuel line for positioning purposes only.

#5: Here the fuel line begins to sit inside the channel of the floor pan.

#6: Here the fuel line begins to slope down towards the ground.

#7: Lowest point.

#8: Arrow points to a small straight section which in my opinion is too long.

#9: Contact point of fuel line to floor pan...can't push up because it hits here.

#10: View of pass side door...this shows how much the fuel line is exposed. OEM line was tucked (up and in) and was not visible. At this section the line which I removed had round wire coil wrapped around it...this made the OEM line the same O.D. as the 1/2" stainless which I purchased from Inline Tube. Please note...I am not putting the return line back on....just the new 1/2" stainless.

#11: Same bend as #5.

#12: Same bend as #7...lowest point.




-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As for what happened with the poor fitting 1/2" fuel line....Inline Tube said they use the same dies for the 1/2" as they do for the 3/8". Go figure. Anyways...their product did not fit right. They were somewhat impressed with the photo I sent them (the one shown above) yet they still claimed "there's nothing wrong with our product". I kept telling them...just look at #10. At the end of it all they were somewhere in the US and I was in Canada...and they knew it. And they knew I wouldn't bother sending it back since it's a real PITA with shipping/duty/brokerage/customs/etc/etc. This type of poor customer service is not uncommon with speed shops selling parts to Canadian customers. Just ask me about Hurst Shifters and Intellitronix. Free trade my a**.

The way I fixed it was to gently "stretch" the fuel line over the section where the bends occur (section #4 through to section #9) and somehow managed to tuck it up and in...not perfectly as the OEM but enough up and out of the way. This affected the overall length of the fuel line. Now mind you, this was 6 years ago that I installed this fuel line....and that's how I remember fixing the fitment issue.



Shown fuel line tucked up tighter to floor pan. Pic JULY 2008.




Managed to get it fit into the channel in the floor pan. Pic JULY 2008.






Well, the future is here and now. I'm putting in a 3/8" fuel line which will serve as the feed up to the engine. The existing 1/2" will become the return line for the return style regulator shown above. When I purchased the 1/2" SS from inline tube I also bought the OEM steel 3/8" fuel line (just in case). Wow...hindsight. The 3/8" fuel line is stashed up high in the garage rafters.


Side note:

I am contemplating either mech fuel pump only or elec only or mech with elec???

FWIW....Others have posted on this site that a small elec fuel pump out back serves well to assist in pushing the fuel up to the mech pump during high demand moments.

Here is what I'm talking about:

posted by Damon 04-09-2008. LINK

Originally Posted by Damon

Can't comment on the fuel cell question- never ran one in one of my own cars. Sumped stock tanks is as wild as I've ever gotten.

However, I will give you may take on fuel lines and pumps, if you care to read it. Block-mounted mechanical pumps are no different than ANY fuel pump in that they push fuel MUCH better than they pull it. You can put a 110-120 GPH pump on your engine and think that you could feed 800 HP which, theoretically, it could. But it won't in the real world. That LONG draw from the tank is the culprit. Ever try to blow through 15 feet of 3/8" fuel line? Go try it. You'll be amazed how difficult it is. Then try it with 15 feet of 1/2" line- much easier but still a fairly stunning level of resistance.

Now consider the physical weight of the fuel in the line. Not only does it have intertia, but it's also being acted on by the G-forces of accelerating hard off the starting line in, say a drag race scenario. Forces that are trying to draw the fuel AWAY from the pump.

Those 2 things are what keeps a mechanical pump way up at the front of the car from ever producing the kind of flow that they are rated for on the box.

In my experience (not theory, actual real-world hands-on with my own cars) the simple addition of a low pressure electric "helper" pump back by the tank (Holley Red or Carter 5 PSI street pump) to push the fuel up to the mechanical pump is another alternative you should consider. It's by far the easiest to install and the cost is fairly reasonable. You just patch it into your stock lines, mount the pump and run a wire to it. No other changes, no regulator required. The difference it makes in fuel delivery under demanding situations is very dramatic. I figure the 2 pumps working together can deliver almost DOUBLE the volume of a block-mounted mechanical with stock lines can in the real world at the dragstrip. I can't say that a change in fuel line diameter alone has ever produced those kind of dramatic improvements for me. Reason is, you're getting at the core issue- a pump that's close to the tank so it can PUSH fuel, instead of PULLING it.

One of my friends has this setup (Holley Red by the tank, Carter mechanical on the block) and is running high 11s through stock 5/16" pea-shooter fuel line! Fuel pressure is rock-solid throughout the entire run. Without the electrical helper pump it's nosed-on on itself only running low 14s. That's the kind of difference I'm talking about.

Oh, by the way, if the electric pump craps out (which I haven't had one fail yet in years of doing this) the mechanical pump can still draw through it so you can drive home.

Makes perfect sense to me. And I love the fact that if the electric craps out the mechanical will still pull fuel through it and run the motor.

As a safety backup I will have the electric fuel pump switched on/off via an oil pressure switch (with relay). Just in case of an accident the electric fuel pump will not continue to pump fuel to a motor which is no longer running. Modern cars have inertial sensors (something to also consider).



An excellent site discussing fuel systems. Fuelish Tendencies


Pics to arrive at time of install.

[KJZ28]

Awesome car/progress!!

[Enroute]

Radio currently in car....original AM FM Stereo Cassette with power antenna. Car also has antenna in windshield.





Changing it for this Delco unit.
Pic of the actual radio I have.






Yeahhhh that's right! A CB radio. I refuse to cut the dash and put in a DIN sized head unit. I just won't do it.

Cassettes are out for me and since the one in the car doesn't work very well it's time for it to go. The replacement AM/FM/CB will use a FM modulator to feed in CD-USB-MP3 player signal. An active 11 band EQ with sub controls will help with the sound quality. The frequency range output of the radio is not that great but for my road trips it'll do just fine.

Since the cassette was no longer useful (don't like those cassette adapters anyway) I figured CB...why not? Have some fun with it. The AM/FM/CB head unit has two antenna inputs...one for radio and one for CB.

I will use the windshield antenna only for the radio. The power antenna (with antenna trimmer) will be for the CB. I have a true CB antenna but for the life of me can't decide where to mount it. I like the discretion of the power antenna for CB use but can't ignore how much better a real CB antenna would be. I don't want my car to stick out like a sore thumb. The performance of the trimmed power antenna will determine if I go with a real CB antenna. Never use a CB radio without an antenna hooked up...it will blow the circuitry!

If you wish to install a CB in your ride and you're on a budget remember this:
(1) A good antenna with an average CB will always outperform a poor antenna with an excellent CB. All CB radios are regulated by the FCC & CRTC to a power rating of no greater than 4 watts.
(2) If you must use only 1 antenna on your car get a CB antenna and split the signals...one to the CB and one to the AM/FM radio. Using an AM/FM antenna with a splitter will not perform as well.
(3) If your CB radio does not have a SWR (standing wave ratio) meter built in get one. A SWR meter is an essential tool when tuning your CB radio antenna. NO CB antenna is pre-tuned.

You might be asking....

Q: I can use a coat hanger and still pick up AM/FM radio broadcast. Why can't I use a coat hanger or just an ordinary piece of metal/wire on a CB radio???
Ans: An AM/FM radio just receives and the performance of the antenna is not crucial to the on-board circuitry. A CB radio receives and transmits. The physical length of the antenna must mathematically "match" the length of the transmitted signal from your CB unit. CB frequencies are in-between (Ch1) 26.965 MHz & (Ch40) 27.405 MHz. The average length of a CB transmission wavelength (27.185 MHz) is roughly 36 feet. Your CB antenna must be a ratio of that length. i.e.: 1/2 wave, 1/4 wave, 5/8 wave, etc...so that the transmitted energy and it's corresponding wave length is dispersed mathematically and proportionately across the length of the antenna and thus will minimize un-transmitted energy from being bounced back into the CB radio. Having no CB antenna hooked up will reflect all of the 4 watts of transmitted energy back into the CB radio and cook the on-board circuitry components since there was no antenna to disperse the 4 watts of transmitted energy into the air.

A visual:


No matter how many crests/valley are along the total length it must be a whole and complete number. No partials as the excess will be "bounced" back into the CB head unit potentially damaging the circuitry.

.


.


If the AM/FM/CB head unit doesn't pan out I may put one of these in:



The Retrosound head unit does not accommodate compact discs or cassettes. It is "digital" by accommodating flash drives (SD & USB). Any self powered audio device (mp3 player, iPod, portable CD player, cell phone, etc) will plug into the 1/8" jack. Pretty neat solution.

More on this later...post text and/or link.

[tallman1970]

Nice detailed posts and work,keep us posted.

[Enroute]

Quick update. Unfortunately nothing has been worked on and accomplished over the past 15 weeks. Higher priorities took over. We just got our first snowfall of the season so the Camaro is tucked away in the garage.

The garage is spacious enough to accommodate work during the colder months. So spring '09 is now the new target.

I'll post updates and work progress as things pick up and start to move along.

[woody80z28]

Life happens! Makes progress slow on the hobbies...

[1FstChevy]

Wait... where are the door stripes!!!!!!? Loving the Charcoal (my original color)