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  1. MikeB

    3.08 Gears. What to Swap to?

    Only you know what kind of engine speeds you can live with on the highway. Compare your current 3.08 with 31" tires, to a 3.73 and 4.11 with 33" tires. https://purperformance.com/p-29669-rpm-calculator.html
  2. MikeB

    Changing gear ratios: opinions/suggestions wanted!!

    Flat tappet cam, yes. But it was installed when the engine was built 20 years ago, broken-in properly, and zero problems since. Most of those cam/lifter failures are right after start-up, or these days due to improperly ground cams and lifter faces. But yes, I don't spend a lot of time on...
  3. MikeB

    Changing gear ratios: opinions/suggestions wanted!!

    Hey Chris, that's good to hear about the MSD controller. I have a 69 C10 with a 350/TH350, but even with 3.08 gears and 29" tires, I find myself looking for a taller gear at 70mph. A 4L60E might be reliable, but an 80 would be bulletproof. I dealt with several issues with an 85 700R4 in a...
  4. MikeB

    Changing gear ratios: opinions/suggestions wanted!!

    FWIW, I think changing axle ratios is a lot simpler than a transmission swap. The 700R4/4L60 can be a PITA to set up properly, and reliability can be marginal, depending on the year of manufacture. And the electronic versions (60E/80E) are much more expensive, especially when you add...
  5. MikeB

    CARBURETOR DATED

    About drain back: So you're saying there is a enough vacuum in the line to pull fuel up from the float bowl past the needle & seat? Wouldn't a vacuum in the line pull the needle even tighter up against the seat? On the other hand, I can see how heated fuel with 10% ethanol, just sitting in...
  6. MikeB

    CARBURETOR DATED

    More than likely, intake manifold heat is causing the gas to evaporate. Try raising the float level above spec for starters. The owners manual tells you how to do it. Also try a phenolic spacer at least 1/2" thick. I'm having a similar problem with an old 1406, that otherwise works...
  7. MikeB

    This one needs to go, asking for opinions. Offering it up here first.

    If you could get the engine running, it would add significantly to the value. Otherwise, a potential buyer would have no idea if repairs would cost $200 or $2,000. And some would not even consider a truck with a blown head gasket.
  8. MikeB

    HEI module dwell time.

    Found this. Around $50, but hopefully you get what you pay for. AC Delco PROFESSIONAL Ignition Control Module Part# D1906 - ACDelco Part# 19180771 - GM Per Veh: 1 Years: 1975-1976
  9. MikeB

    HEI module dwell time.

    I've heard a lot about module failures over the years and guys carrying spares. But I've installed several HEIs in 50s-70s project vehicles starting in mid-1990s, and none of those ever had a module, pickup, or coil failure. Some had stock internals, others were upgraded to MSD module, coil...
  10. MikeB

    Brother's 73-74 grille and bowtie

    Found this on Holley's clearance site. Looks to me like a great deal. https://www.holley.com/products/deals/clearance_parts/parts/04-167
  11. MikeB

    Where is this interior leak coming from?

    On my 82, seam sealer under the cowling was not applied very well at the factory, so it eventually cracked and leaked. In may case, water ran down the drivers side and rusted out part of the fuse panel on its way down to rusting out part of the side panel below the fresh air vent. It's worth a...
  12. MikeB

    327 vs 350 for a daily driver

    That's a great collection. I'd have to say the 300hp 327 is one of my all-time favorites. I never owned one, but a friend did in a 64 Impala SS that I occasionally drove. It had #461 double hump heads, an AFB 4-bbl, and 2.5" rams horns. What a sweetheart! I did have a 275hp 327 in my family...
  13. MikeB

    327 vs 350 for a daily driver

    327s have the ideal rod length-to-stroke ratio, so they like to rev and are a lot of fun in a lighter car with a manual trans. I knew a guy with one in a 67 or 68 C10 and it worked just fine. But I don't see a reason not to go with a 350 or 383 in a square body. IMO, the GM HT383 is one of...
  14. MikeB

    Vintage Air Gen V (5) or replace existing compressor, etc., for 1987 R20 Suburban?

    Duplicate - How do I delete this?
  15. MikeB

    Vintage Air Gen V (5) or replace existing compressor, etc., for 1987 R20 Suburban?

    If someone hasn't suggested it yet, check out Old Air. They have kits to replace OE compressors with a Sanden, but they also have rebuilt OE compressors as well as a new "Pro6Ten" compressor that looks like an OE compressor. https://www.oldairproducts.com/category/factory-replacement-parts
  16. MikeB

    Olds Bravada, GMC Jimmy, Chevy Blazer rear ends

    Big strength differences between the 7.5/7.65 and the 8.5 -- bearing sizes and number of axle splines. 8.2 is OK for mild performance. The 8.5 was used in most square body C10s. Always worth taking it apart if it's an 8.5. I'm not familiar with the 8" and 8.6". Click on the chart to expand it.
  17. MikeB

    Can the heater core be turned off?

    You can use one of these, properly sized for your hoses, and operate it manually instead of with a cable. I used something similar on my 82 C10 that was operated by vacuum. Kinda crude, but I would connect the port to a vacuum hose in the winter, and then disconnect and plug the hose in...
  18. MikeB

    Vintage air vs. stock dilemma???

    About the V/A bashing: A poor mechanic blames his tools.;) My 69 C10 has the old cable-actuated version with tube & fin condenser that I installed in 1998. There are a few things about it I don't like (which have all been corrected on the latest unit), but it still blows cold air here in...
  19. MikeB

    1970s Rally wheel center cap insert decal

    Awesome van! In the late 70s, I had a 74 G20 LWB window van. It wasn't a Beauville, but I got a pair of Beauville high-back bucket seats from a van conversion shop. Drove that sucker all over the West and Southwest. I could haul two full-size dirt bikes behind the second row seat. Had a...
  20. MikeB

    Auto A/C vacuum pump. lots of CFM or Less CFM whats best?? A/C tech's please help.

    My 20 year old Robinair is 1.5 cfm, and it works just fine for casual automotive use. It doesn't take more than 20 minutes or so to pull close to the -30" hg mark on my gauge. I see where Robinair suggests 1.5-3.0 cfm for automotive use. However, if you do automotive A/C for a living, you may...
  21. MikeB

    3 on the tree

    I think all will agree that the M13's 1st gear was not designed to handle the torque of a 427. So you'd have to take it VERY easy or start off in 2nd gear. And even then, I'm not sure the trans would live very long.
  22. MikeB

    Biggest jobs you have completed in the shortest amount of time.

    Reminds me of helping a friend at college install new rings and bearings in his 57 Ford with a 312. We did it on the road next to our dorm on a Saturday. Ridge reamer and all! That was so long ago, I don't want to say when it was.
  23. MikeB

    Biggest jobs you have completed in the shortest amount of time.

    Great stories above.:cheers: Back in 1998, I installed a Vintage Air system in a 69 C10. It was my first A/C installation, but took me only 2-3 days, which included cutting holes in the dash for the factory A/C supply events. The truck still has that system, and looking at it now I don't know...
  24. MikeB

    Hello from Las Cruces NM

    I have a good friend in Las Cruces, and I was stationed at White Sands Missile Range many years ago. We got hooked on red and green chili when we were there. Nellie's is my all-time favorite Mexican restaurant. There's nothing like New Mexico food!
  25. MikeB

    Header hell

    It's so hard to say what fits a specific engine and cylinder heads, clears frame rails, doesn't drop down way below the frame, etc., etc. My best advice would be to buy local if you have that option. That way, returns don't cost you time and money. I returned two set of headers to Summit...

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