Tag Archives: Chevrolet Impala

Engine Line-UP: Chevy Engines 1971

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If you read any of my pieces on Engines, you’ll know that I enjoy learning all I can about the various makers’ details on their features.  I thought that I might start a series that took a year by year approach to what the US automaker build and used in the cars they produced.

So here is the engine line up for the 1971 Chevys.

 

Of course Chevy had the V8’s in 1971, not yet strangled by smog control, as well as 6 cylinders and 4 cylinders.

All of the 6’s were inline (often referred to as straight 6 – for the pistons all being in a straight line configuration) these were 250 cubic inch displacements – (very similar to the Ford 250, with the exception of the Blue upping the compression to 9.1:1 vs Chevy’s 8.5:1).  These were cast iron with hp running about 145 with hydraulic lifter,  and normally topped with a Rochester one barrel carb.  Any car that had a 6 in it had this engine and it was an option with most any Chevy model.

 

1971 Chev Inline Six (this one is in a Chevy Nova)

Next up is the 4 cylinder used exclusively in the Vega (remember those?). They were inline 4’s with Over head Cams, aluminum block (not iron) and managed to displace 140 cubic inches.  The compression ratio was less than they 6 at 8.0:1 with hydraulic lifters and a one barrel carb.

Vega Four Cylinder

There were 3 basic V8 that year the 350, 400 and the 307.

The 350 cid was cast iron with overhead valves and compression ratio of 8.5:1 with an hp of 245 hp when it was topped with a 2 barrel Rochester carb.  These were widely used in the Biscayne, Bel Air, Impala, and Monte Carlo.

The 400 was cast iron as well with matching stats.  However due to the larger bore  (4.125 vs the 4.00 for the 350) and longer stroke (3.75 inches compare to the 350’s 3.48) it was able to push the hp’s up to 255 (umm..seems like a lot of work for 5 hps) when it was topped with the same 2 barrel carb.

The 307 rounds this out  with its cast iron block and over head valves, it to had the compression ratio of 8.5:1 but with a smaller bore and shorter stroke  (3.875 and 3.5 inch)it bu down roughly 200 hp.  The 307 was used in Chevelle, Malibu, Nova and the Camaro.

 

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Parking-Lot Spotlight 1955 Chevy Belair

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Note: Updated to correct mis-Identification of this parking-lot find.  It is in fact a 1955.  The main details that denote the difference is the placement of the Chevy and BelAir badging and grile.

So I’m lucky. I live in a place where there is not prone to any type of natural disasters, we don’t much rain and it only snow when it’s a cold day, you know where.

It’s also a place were you don’t have to put way your collectible set of wheels, you can drive the year would and a lot of folks do.

Here is my latest parking-lot find.

It is a 1955 Chevy, 2 door Belair.  Yeah, I know it’s a couple years before the super wonderful 1957’s came out, but I like these shoe box cars, with their very clean lines especially the 2 door version and I particularly like the lines of the BelAir convertible.  It reminds me of the clean lines for my 1966 Chevy Impala convertible.

Love the red and white.  Fantastic chrome.

Wheel aren’t ordinal but I think that are great for this car.

Look at the stance! It’s just great.

You gotta love that hood ornament!!

 

All Belair came standard with a 6 cylinder with about 353,00 produced, not counting convertibles.

The 6 was an overhead value, cast iron power plant with a displacement of 235.5.  With a 3 9/16 x 3 15/16 and a compression ratio of 7.5:1
these cars knocked out a whopping 115 hp.  The would breath through a Rochester one barrel Model 7007200 carb or a Carter one-barrel Model
2101S (for the Powerglide auto transmission) and a Rochester one-barrel Model 7007181 for the standard shift.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Vacuum – Tune it up!

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Checking the vacuum on your old car is an important part of a thorough, but most of the average guys don’t bother, or don’t have the gauge.  Most often if you do have the gauge, you might not be exactly sure what the reading might be.  For the recorded I’ve never had a car where the readings were stable.  Normally you’ll get a fluctuating reading that move around.  Below are a few ‘ranges’ and what they may indicate.

Standard Vacuum Gauge

These are for V8’s only:

–  A good reading will be between 15 and 22 in. hg (a steady needle).  Closing the throttle you should see a 5 notch drop and reopening it should settle back previous span (15-20).

– If you get a reading where the needle has a swing 4-5 in. hg ethier side of normal, you are looking at a possible simple carb adjustment.

–  If the reading is higher than normal you need look at replacing your air filter or check to ensure your choke is not stuck.

–  Low reading would be fairly steady reading around 5 hg will have you looking for a vacuum leak on the intake/carb area.  Look for poor connections at the carb or any “T” or “Y” or straight though connection.  Baring that look for cracked hose.  You know I hate vacuum leaks.  I recently restored a 1984 corvette with the Crossfire injection set up.  Rather than chase down a single spot, I just replaced them all.  That was a lot of vacuum hose and tucked in some stuff spots.  But you are working on something bit older, like my 1970 Mustang, replace it all, it’s going to go back sooner or later, especially with the kind of temps we have out here in the Southwest.

–  If you get a reading that between 8 and 14 you are looking at a timing issue at the least to leaking piston rings at the worse.  Do a compression check for the leak and use your timing light before you tear it apart.

–  If the needle is swinging (unsteady) between 14 and 19 hg that indicates valve guide problems.  That going to be a valve guide problem.

Thanks for reading

Tim

 

C6 07 Corvette – Fuel Gauge – Video

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Here is the follow-up for the Fuel Gauge issue I had with my Corvette.

I had previously added a can of Techron Fuel System Cleaner.  This was the first treated tank.  Today the Vette need filling up and I recorded the incident.

In the second video please excuse the legs shot.

This first is the status as I pulled in to gas up.

[vodpod id=Video.15524740&w=425&h=350&fv=file%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fvid299.photobucket.com%252Falbums%252Fmm296%252Ftimsweet2200%252FVIDEO0069.mp4]

Here you can clearly see the flop and the service notice.

 

[vodpod id=Video.15524738&w=425&h=350&fv=file%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fvid299.photobucket.com%252Falbums%252Fmm296%252Ftimsweet2200%252FVIDEO0070.mp4]
Fuel Issue Vid1, posted with vodpod

After about 20 miles, the gauge when to 3/4 full and a few minutes later it when to full.

After I got home I put in another can of fuel system cleaner.  We’ll see how that works.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Transformers The Movie – Do We Love Our Cars?

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Do we love our cars or what?

I recent attended a showing of the latest Transformers movie (“Dark Side of the Moon“) and if you know anything about this series or of the cartoon of years gone by, you’ll know that the main characters are machines that turn in to robots.  Most of these are vehicles, cars, trucks, semis and even military aircraft.

The car group included a lot of chevys this time, a Camaro  which is one of the main stairs, an Impala and a Corvette (actually a representation of a prototype Corvette).  The  Corvette transformed into a rollerblading robot – which I thought unfitting of my favorite car.

There is the human hero and of course a hot model as his object of desire.

When the hot model was threatened or in harm’s way you could hear the audience get involved.  But when an evil robot was about to execute the Camaro character the audience got really vocal.   Kids cried at that images, thinking that the Camaro was about to get wacked,   forget about the girl….just don’t hurt the car!!!

Yes we love your cars.  Oh and the good cars – the Chevy‘s– saved the world again.

But that’s movies and you can just enjoy it with no lasting harmful effects..unless you are me or  maybe it wasn’t me but the subliminal messages.  I left wanting a Camaro, but not just any 2012 Camaro, but a yellow with black striped bumble bee Camaro.

It must be subliminal messages, I had the same desire after watching Will Smith zip through the empty streets of New York City in the 2007 Shelby GT500 Mustang in his move ‘I Am Legend’ yes the red with white stripes.

2007 GT500 Mustang

2012 Camaro

 

You know you want both too!!!

Thanks for reading…and go hug your car!!!

Tim

Product Review – Griot’s Garage – Long Lasting Tire Dressing

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From time to time I check out a product that I hear about, in this case, from a repetitive mail from Griot’s garage.  This is a catalog of sorts, with a lot of merchandise and everything you need to spruce up your ride.

Thier “Long Lasting Tire Dressing” is the first item I’ve tried.

If you recall I did a review a while back on a tire gel here is the link: ” Like and Don’t Like – Products (Tire Gel) and Tools (Thread Chasers)”
http://wp.me/pKHNM-aJ

Here is my new try:

[vodpod id=Video.13290806&w=425&h=350&fv=file%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fvid299.photobucket.com%252Falbums%252Fmm296%252Ftimsweet2200%252FVIDEO0058.mp4]

Tire Dressing, posted with vodpod
Now before we start, the bottle you see in the video has instructions and to be fair, I’ll give you any variations.
The direction say, roughly, clean the tire, apply with application pad and that a light application will give you a shine and subsequent will increase the luster.  Not much there to go on.
Now you need to know that I applied the dressing with an old sock.  Most manufactures always try to sell something extra and kt, which is an “applicator”, the magic potion and a terry cloth/micro fiber towel.  I normally don’t go for that sales pitch.  So that was the only deviation.
A couple more variables:
1.  The dressing was stored in my garage.  The temperature in there today was about 105 degrees. I applied the dressing while the car was in the garage.
2. The temp outside was about 108.
3.  As you will see my Corvette’s tires have small sidewalls and a lot of small raised text and logo.
Ok so here are a couple before pics:

Before, notice the off-color

More of the discolor and you can see there isn't must sidewall.

Lots of raised lettering

Raised logo

Coming  up application and an opinion.

Thanks for reading.
Tim

Car Production Numbers. They Made How Many? 1926

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Are you like me and like numbers and history?

Here are some numbers for car production for 1996.

At the number one spot was Ford with 1,426,612 followed by:

Chevy                    547,724

Buick                     266,753

Dodge                   265,000

Hudson/Essex   227,508

Willys-Overland/Whippet       182,000

Chrysler              135,520

Pontiac/Oakland     133,604

Ford was really knocking out some cars.

Here is a 1926 Willys-Overland Whippet

 

1926 Essex

 

In 1926 GM purchased all the shares of Fisher Body Company from the Fisher brothers and build a new building in 1927.

1926 was the first year for Pontiac, is sported a 40 bhp, 187 CID L-head 6.

Thanks for reading

Tim

 

How Many Did They Make? 1902

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There is a lot of emphasis on numbers for production when it comes to collector cars and I get that, who wouldn’t what a low product something or other.

So I got to thinking about production numbers and thought it would be interesting post some up from time to time.

Now in 1902 there weren’t many cars being produced but there were 8 makers.

1.  Locomobile                                                                           2,750

2.  Oldsmobile                                                                        2,500

3.  Rambler                                                                            1,500

4. White                                                                                     385

5.  Knox                                                                                     250

6. Packard                                                                                 179

7.  Stanley                                                                                  170

8.  Union                                                                                      60

1902 White Auto

Knox Truck Circa 1902

 
 
Thanks for reading
Tim
 
 
 

 

Auto Factoids 7/10 -7/16 Checker – VW

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Back by popular demand Auto Factoids.

July 12  – The first Checker automobile was produced in 1922.

–   It was a merger of sorts between Commonwealth
Motors (making bodies for cab companies as ‘Mogul’) and Morris Markin’s  Markin Autobody.

–  The engine is a 4 cylinder Buda Model Q with 27 hp.

–   1935 Checker used the Y-8 engine (Lycoming engine) and the Y-6 engine ( a Continental six-cylinder).

–   The last Checker autos were produced in 1982 with  a 229-cubic-inch (3.8 liter) V-6 engine and automatic 3-speed transmission.

1922 Checker Cab

1982 Checker Cab

July 14 – VW debuts the Karmann Ghia in 1955

–   360,000 coupes and about 80,000 convertibles we made between 1955 and 1974.

–   I will own one of these eventually.

1955 Karmann Ghia

1974 VW Karmann Ghia

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Closure Missing 1970 Mustang Grande

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OK after all these years, after the car was gone.  I stopped by the house.  I was met by Al, short for Albert, not Alan, as Al informed me.

I told him that I had always wanted to check on the Grande and he informed I was a bit late.  He said he didn’t mind answers a few questions.

So I asked Al how got the car and he said he bought it back in 1972 from some guy.  “It was a nice car with an automatic.”  Of course my next question was what was under the hood and he said ‘nothing’.  “Took it out about 10 years ago and parked on the side of the house.”  He told me he never got the engine fixed, ” ’cause  it ‘cost too much.”  He ended up letting the guy that did some work on it keep.  “Ya know, it might have been a 302.”  He said he didn’t really know want to do with the body and just ended up hanging on to it.

So I asked him where the car end up, hoping it was sent out to be restored.  He said there was this guy from Texas that would stop by every now and then and ask if it was for sale.  He drives large pick up and always has an empty trailer attached.  This same guy that has stopped by a co-worker of mine, who has her son’s 70 Monte Carlo and her daughter’s 1969 Camaro sitting under her car port – waiting for some TLC and try’s to convince her that she should sell them to him.  She chases him off each time, but he’ll swing by a few months later.

A couple of weeks ago, Texas dude, stops by Al’s home and Al decided to get the Grande out of the yard and sold the man from Texas.

We talked a bit longer about my 1970 Mustang coupe and I showed him a couple of pics on my phone and then thanked him for his time.

There ya go..closure!

Thanks for reading.

Tim