Re: [Chevelle-List] Alternator woes (long)
Replies to this message are sent to The Chevelle Mailing List I did not see you mention anywhere about the type of battery you have or how old it is. Perhaps if you took out the old one, measured the space available for a new one, you might be able to put a new one in with double the cold cranking amps. An old battery can act just like you describe when they get too hot. I just bought an AC Delco mini hi torque starter for $100 on Ebay and the guy at the NAPA store showed me one almost identical with a lifetime warrenty also for $100. Also, a lot of places advertize a one wire conversion kit for the older alternators that brings them up to about 90 amp output. I haven't had to do this yet so not sure about the cost, reliablity, etc. Maybe someone on the list knows? BTW, I used to own a Ford that did the same thing. Everytime, it was the starter. I replaced over 10 rebuilt starters on warrenty and the parts jobber kept complaining my engine was at fault. Finally, I pulled the starter and checked the sleeve bearing clearances and found the nose bearing was at fault. When it got hot, it was too tight. Took my father's handy reamer set and removed a couple thousands and never had to replace the starter again. Also, it was the Ford I ever owned! Ron At 04:50 PM 07/15/2001 -0700, you wrote: Replies to this message are sent to The Chevelle Mailing List I'm just curious what kind of battery/alternator setup you guys are running. Particularly those of you with stereo systems and a/c. I've been having problems with my car not starting in the summer heat. Last summer I put a F*d solenoid in and it helped, but hasn't cured my problems. If I go across town about 30-40 miles or so while using the a/c (and/or stereo), let the car sit for about 10-15 minutes while I run into the store and then try to leave, it won't start. At this point, I have two options. If I wait for 30-45 minutes and let the car cool down, it'll (barely) start again and I can go back home (forget about stopping anywhere else, or I have to go through the same thing all over again). The 2nd option is to have someone jump start my car, which allows the car to start up instantly with no problems. After getting very annoyed by this, I've noticed that if I go across town without the a/c on, shut off the car, come back in 10-15 min., and start the car it'll start up (again barely, but at least it starts). Here are some other things I've noticed. When I start the car, the voltmeter gauge reads approx. 14 volts. When I turn the a/c on, it drops to just above 12 volts. Stereo isn't hooked right now since it'd only make matters worse. When I have the a/c on at night with the headlights, the voltage drops to around 10 while at idle. When I accelerate again it will go back to 12 volts. I can't afford to replace everything ie: mini starter, dual battery, alternator, etc., so I was thinking of just getting a 2nd battery so that I could jump start myself when I needed to since that always solves starting problems when someone else jump starts my car. Then I thought, well, why not make it easier and just add a dual battery setup, so I can just flip a switch and use the 2nd battery. But the more I thought about it, I'd probably need a higher power alternator to charge dual batteries. SO, I think I'm going to splurge and go for a high power alternator and see if that will help me keep the battery I've got, charged. Does this sound logical to you guys? What are some good high power alternators? I was looking Mr. Amp 130 amp. alternators which are on sale right now for $258 instead of the normal $285. Any Mr. Amp horror stories? Are there any other brands you'd suggest? Thanks for the input. Forgot to mention, I'm running an alternator now that one of my 'hotrod' friends used in his 58 Belair. It's a newer style alternator from a 90's Cadillac. It's got the internal style regulator. Rodney. 71 Chevelle Phoenix, AZ - To Unsubscribe please visit www.chevelles.net/list.html To start a new topic, send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To Unsubscribe please visit www.chevelles.net/list.html To start a new topic, send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [Chevelle-List]OPG - NPD - Year One-
Replies to this message are sent to The Chevelle Mailing List My 2 cents worth. I am really annoyed by Year One. In my opinion, they probably sell the best replacement parts for chevys. They spent a lot of time developing an almost worthless website. When you e-mail them with a question about a part number and price from a catalog that is several years old, they will not reply. I have the impression that Year One is in the catalog marketing business, rather than selling parts. I have some programming experience in developing websites and with very little effort, these companies could put their entire inventory, ie part number, current price, and short description on the web for practically nothing compared to what Year One paid to develop their worthless site. OPG and NPD regularily send me free catalogs and so I buy all my parts from them. In one year, I did over $2500 worth of business with OPG when I completely redid the interior on my 70 Chevelle and had some major body work completed on my 69. As for Year One, I refuse do any business with them, unless they start helping person's who want to do business with them. As for e-mail orders, I have fairly good luck with CarParts.com. first of all, the quality is great and you can select different manufactures at different price for the same part. I asked them if they had a money back, 100% guarentee, and I finally got an e-mail from someone there who said that if I was not fully satisfied with their parts, I could return them for a complete refund with no restocking charges or postage costs. Anyway, I ordered a bunch of parts and then one day, I received something I did not want. I told them that I wanted to return the part for a refund and was told there was a restocking charge and that I would have to pay return postage. I immediately sent the memo about no charges if not satisfied and got a UPS prepaid label e-mailed to me and no charge for returning parts plus a full refund. So when ordering any part from anyone on the internet, get it in writing first! Also, we are a small town and not a lot of choices. An O'Reillys moved into town and I tried them out. They carry good brand name parts and their prices are very competetive. Our NAPA store has really gone downhill so I have been doing more business with O'Reillys. As for Pep Boys, all one has to do is watch their TV commercials to know what they are. Anybody that would have the guts (or stupidity) to sell you a set of 4 tires for $99 is either nuts or using it as a gimic to get you to buy something more expensive. With the recent Firestone fiasco on Explorers, I could not imagine anyone driving anywhere on a $25 tire. I just paid $150 each for tires on my S-10 Blazer and I know that they will take me anywhere I want to go. Ron At 10:03 PM 07/13/2001 -0400, you wrote: Replies to this message are sent to The Chevelle Mailing List We've also had a number of good experiences with NPD, both in buying parts by phone and when dealing with their technicians. There have been a few times when we've called a number of the vendors (including Year One and OPG) and gotten the most information from the NPD guys, who have been very couteous and helpful. I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to deal with them again. As with a number of these vendors, I believe that a lot depends on the person you happen to deal with on the other end, their mood on that particular day and your own. JIm -69-SS396- H. P.S. As for Pep Boys, I've had good experiences with 2 of the stores in my area where the staff was knowledgable and helpful and I've had experiences at a 3rd store where the staff seemed completely inept. On Thu, 12 Jul 2001 22:25:03 -0400 Bill Vander Werf [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Replies to this message are sent to The Chevelle Mailing List I've dealt with the NPD store in Ocala, Florida. I travel past there quite often so I am able to stop in and save freight. I've always found the people there to be friendly and knowledgeable. I found they have some things that Year One doesn't have and I can pick things up immediately. I have had good experiences with both NPD and Year One. I haven't had any dealings with OPG. Bill Vander Werf [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I've purchased items from NPD for the last 3 years, have had returns and nothing but good things to say about them. Helpful and easy to work with. - To Unsubscribe please visit www.chevelles.net/list.html To start a new topic, send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit:
Re: [Chevelle-List] Need some info.
Replies to this message are sent to The Chevelle Mailing List Tom, You are doing exactly the same thing I am doing, except I relaced the 307 with a 350. I saved the 307 and it will go in for a complete blueprinting, but I will not use it as a daily driver. I am the original owner and I know what is original and what is not. The 307 is a bad block and will only give you 50,000 moles before another overhaul. My 350 will give me 200,000! The 307 is going on an engine stand as an ornament and for my family to sell with the car when I croak. As for color, there are some websites that list them; you just have to look. Eastwood sells paints that they say match like chassis black. I was able to find enough assortment of spray cans at NAPA (about 6 blacks from gloss to flat) that worked fine. I repainted the firewall with thre differnet blacks until I liked the color and gloss. The original frame was never painted to my knowledge so I polyurethaned it gloss black to keep off the grease and crud. You will find that the origional car had very few painted parts. If you realy are concerned, go to a show and talk to a Concours restoration judge. Ask him for a literature list. As for my car right now, it looks better than anything I've seen at a show for all originals, and I am happy with the results. Also, it looks better under the hood than the car I bought off the showroom floor. Ron Mlejnek At 12:15 AM 07/04/2001 EDT, you wrote: Replies to this message are sent to The Chevelle Mailing List Hi all. I recently began tearing down and restoring a 69 307 Malibu. I will be putting this car back to original. I already tore down the whole front end and I am in the process of refinishing the steering and suspension components. My question is this: What color are the suspension steering parts supposed to be? I.E. control arms, springs, sway bar, steering box, idler arm, etc. When I redid my 70, I just painted everything black. I want to do this car as correct as possible. It is a numbers matching car. Thanks in advance. Tom - To Unsubscribe please visit www.chevelles.net/list.html To start a new topic, send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To Unsubscribe please visit www.chevelles.net/list.html To start a new topic, send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [Chevelle-List] Need some info.
Replies to this message are sent to The Chevelle Mailing List Tom, I used Coroless on the frame and then put the glossy polurethane over it. There are directions for better paint adhesion, but I think I waited too long. A ding shows up pretty easily. Will not really know untill I drive it for a couple of years if it works. I did scuff it up before shooting color, but not sure that helped much. The surface of Coroless is like teflon. What they should do is develop a coating to go over Coroless that makes for better advesion of color coats. You are fortunate to get that many miles out of that engine. Everything I have read about 307's is that the metal is soft and wears fast. I changed oil and filter every 3000 miles without fail. By 50,000 miles, the rear two plugs were fouling all the time. As for the sandbasted parts, I used the same gloss black polyurethane, but one of the articles I read said to paint the springs a contrasting color of black, like flat black. It said they show better. Also, I tried to find someone with the processes of treating bare metal like zinc coating and anodizing, but it is prohibitively expensive. Ron At 02:52 PM 07/04/2001 EDT, you wrote: Replies to this message are sent to The Chevelle Mailing List Ron, Thanks for the info. I do have an assortment of Eastwood paints left over from my 70.I found a listing in the Team Chevelle tech archive that tells which parts are cast and which are painted. I knew some parts were supposed to cast steel in color, I just wasn't sure which ones. Also, any opinion on the Coroless from Eastwood. I am not taking the body off, just lifting it up enough so that I can paint the frame and install new body mounts. I don't plan on sandblasting the frame or anything. Just want to put a rust coating on befor I paint it. The 307 has 100,000 miles on it and ran fine before I pulled it out. The only thing I'm going to do to it is powerwash it, repaint it, do the timing chain, reseal it, and put it back in. I am actually in the middle of sand blasting the control arms, springs, drums, and spindles for the front end. I will probably have the front end done within the next 2 weeks. Tom - To Unsubscribe please visit www.chevelles.net/list.html To start a new topic, send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To Unsubscribe please visit www.chevelles.net/list.html To start a new topic, send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
