Help with header install

[Chillin014]

haha. hmm hmm hmm. I need to pick up a chiltons for this car. I definitely dont have anything wired up "in line" like the pic shows.
the violet wire goes to the vacuum ball (there a large hose and a small hose connection...violet is the small connection the large one goes to the intake manifold). the grey hose is loose but can easily be connected to the heater valve....
I dont understand why the dash flap wont open.
i'll have to re-run some new lines to rule out the fact that they are dry rotted. where do you get the new little lines? i'll check summit lol.

markcp...your frame is all clean and painted...i'm jealous. one day...

 

[markcp]

markcp...your frame is all clean and painted...i'm jealous. one day...

Thanks, it started with a pressure washer and some grease remover. Buddy got me using Chassis Saver paint. I brushed it on, but it flowed out like it was shot on. Some tough stuff once it dries. It all takes time... I pulled the engine on Memorial Day of this summer, and still not ready to take it down the road yet.

 

[Chillin014]

markcp...your frame is all clean and painted...i'm jealous. one day...

Thanks, it started with a pressure washer and some grease remover. Buddy got me using Chassis Saver paint. I brushed it on, but it flowed out like it was shot on. Some tough stuff once it dries. It all takes time... I pulled the engine on Memorial Day of this summer, and still not ready to take it down the road yet.

yeah im far far away from where your at...but i watch horsepowertv alot and if you've ever seen those shows..they leave nothing out when they restore a car....its always frame off...everything new and nice like brand new cars.
and here I am trying to make my A/C flap open...lol.


another problem i've noticed with the headers (i forgot thats the topic of this thread) is that it runs real close to the transmission fluid lines and i'm thinking its probably just heating up the fluid rather than cooling it down 🙁 might have to pick up some heat wrap for various things in the engine bay and those lines. BTW where did you get your new vacuum lines for the a/c stuff? they look new.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

You may be missing one of the check valves in the system. I have them all in mine because I pulled a complete umm..harness ( looking for term here) of the vacuum tubes from a 305 car and installed it on mine. However, I am having the same issue you are right now. I am wondering if I have a bad vacuum motor in mine, but won't get to it until after the paint is finished and the car is ready for the interior. As for where to get them, that I do not know, but I can tell you how to fix them. If you have a cracked one, find some washer fluid lines and you can cut a piece of that to use as a sleeve to splice them back together. Use some silicone on the two tube ends to get a perfect seal.

Oh, one more thing: I was junkyarding today and looked at the vacuum tubes/hoses on a 79 Malibu wagon to see how they were hooked up. The vacuum source they all plug into is the port on the manifold between the back of the carb and the distributor. This is a fairly large port, so it is possible that it is needed to provide enough volume for the systems that are connected to it. I dunno. Mine gets vacuum to the motors under the dash and they still won't all work. I am wondering if in my case the fact that they were disconnected for the last 10 years has something to do with it.

Yet another thought is that the vacuum line leading in to the ball was black on the Malibu I looked at today. Maybe if I get ambitious tomorrow I'll take a pic of my vacuum line placement for you. Oh, and the Chiltons and Haynes manuals will not have any of this information. You really need to find a complete set of the factory service manuals from GM to get the diagnostic stuff on these systems. The small books at the parts store mostly cover maintenance and the basics. The three book set I have is probably 3-5,000 pages long and covers EVERYTHING. Not all of it is G body--it covers B and E bodies too-- but it covers every single option and system for each model covered.

Still not finished... My heater control valve is not located on the intake manifold, but this is the stock location on most SBC G bodies. I used the Buick V6 valve and location which is right before the heater core. I did this because it allows more clearance for the dual snorkel air cleaner and because my vacuum lines are only long enough to reach that location. If you have the short hose set, you can just get one for a 85 Cutlass Supreme with the 3.8 V6 ( VIN A) and it will work just fine.

As for the trans lines, try wrapping them or making a heat shield to reflect radiated heat away from the lines. Use stainless steel if possible when making it as it is more heat resistant than regular steel and does not need to be painted.

 

[markcp]

BTW where did you get your new vacuum lines for the a/c stuff? they look new.

They are the originals,I just wiped them down.

 

[Chillin014]

You may be missing one of the check valves in the system. I have them all in mine because I pulled a complete umm..harness ( looking for term here) of the vacuum tubes from a 305 car and installed it on mine. However, I am having the same issue you are right now. I am wondering if I have a bad vacuum motor in mine, but won't get to it until after the paint is finished and the car is ready for the interior. As for where to get them, that I do not know, but I can tell you how to fix them. If you have a cracked one, find some washer fluid lines and you can cut a piece of that to use as a sleeve to splice them back together. Use some silicone on the two tube ends to get a perfect seal.

Oh, one more thing: I was junkyarding today and looked at the vacuum tubes/hoses on a 79 Malibu wagon to see how they were hooked up. The vacuum source they all plug into is the port on the manifold between the back of the carb and the distributor. This is a fairly large port, so it is possible that it is needed to provide enough volume for the systems that are connected to it. I dunno. Mine gets vacuum to the motors under the dash and they still won't all work. I am wondering if in my case the fact that they were disconnected for the last 10 years has something to do with it.

Yet another thought is that the vacuum line leading in to the ball was black on the Malibu I looked at today. Maybe if I get ambitious tomorrow I'll take a pic of my vacuum line placement for you. Oh, and the Chiltons and Haynes manuals will not have any of this information. You really need to find a complete set of the factory service manuals from GM to get the diagnostic stuff on these systems. The small books at the parts store mostly cover maintenance and the basics. The three book set I have is probably 3-5,000 pages long and covers EVERYTHING. Not all of it is G body--it covers B and E bodies too-- but it covers every single option and system for each model covered.

Still not finished... My heater control valve is not located on the intake manifold, but this is the stock location on most SBC G bodies. I used the Buick V6 valve and location which is right before the heater core. I did this because it allows more clearance for the dual snorkel air cleaner and because my vacuum lines are only long enough to reach that location. If you have the short hose set, you can just get one for a 85 Cutlass Supreme with the 3.8 V6 ( VIN A) and it will work just fine.

As for the trans lines, try wrapping them or making a heat shield to reflect radiated heat away from the lines. Use stainless steel if possible when making it as it is more heat resistant than regular steel and does not need to be painted.

ok ty ty. yeah i've been splicing the cracked lines with some small black regular vacuum hosing. Its getting cold here so its not a huge deal if the flap opens immediately I just figured it would be an easy fix and like you i'm having problems.
I do have the vacuum port on the back of my intake manifold but it kinda comes into conflict with my rochester carb due to the hardline to the brake booster. I figured I'd clean that whole set up up when i got a new carb but who knows when that will be.
I gotta get to school.
yes i know i need a factory service manual by the way lol.
be back later

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I too run a Quadrajet carb and have no interference problem. Maybe whoever put your car together did not use the factory 90 degree angle fitting that screws into the intake manifold. The stock look of the engine in this car is very messy with wires and vacuum lines going everywhere, which is why I have not detailed my engine bay to look pretty.

 

[Chillin014]

I too run a Quadrajet carb and have no interference problem. Maybe whoever put your car together did not use the factory 90 degree angle fitting that screws into the intake manifold. The stock look of the engine in this car is very messy with wires and vacuum lines going everywhere, which is why I have not detailed my engine bay to look pretty.

haha i know , i definitely cleaned alot of it out (the wiring harness for the computer for the most part). which is another reason i want a more mechanical carb since there's basically nothing to control it. The fitting is definitely not factory, its a 3-outlet piece and looks stupid...but i do have alot of vacuum lines to run so if i were to replace it i'm not sure what i'd do..probably just get another "tripod" one.

my quadrajet (if thats what it is) is in bad condition. the car idles really high most of the time but sometimes, rarely, it will idle normal and quiet and you dont have to mash the brake pedal to keep it from moving at a light.

 

[Chillin014]

i just got my mufflers today and wow...routing an exhaust on this car is going to be fun....not.

the popular route seems to be routing the pipes near the driveshaft until they clear the under-seat humps. ..but that doesnt give a whole lot more clearance. I'm running 2.5 inch pipes by the way. hopefully thats not too big.

now i gotta head to autozone and see if they have any of the right curves to allow me to run these pipes.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

If you have a computer carb, it is wise to replace it with a non computer variant if you do not runt the computer. I run the Quadrajet off of a 1979 350 powered Chevy van in mine which I modified for the full 800 cfm instead of the 600 cfm they have unmodified ( 5 minutes with a Dremel to cut down a stop on the secondary air valve). Use the later Quadrajet (75 and later I think...) which is a bolt on replacement for your carb but without the computer fittings. Try to get one off a Chevy 350 or maybe a 1980 Cadillac 368 and avoid ones from larger displacement engines. The idle feed restrictions will be too big and it will run rich at idle and part throttle. Also avoid ones with the straight in fuel fitting instead of the Chevy/Cadillac 90 degree inlet style. By all means though, avoid ones with electrical plugs on them ( choke excepted) as they will run bad without their computer attached! The later carbs have the ability to run the electric choke by simply swapping the coil. They also keep all of the same vacuum and throttle cable/TV cable hook ups as well. Quadrajets are by far the best street carb for a mild small block Chevy. They have great fuel economy and part throttle responsiveness, plus they keep their tune better than a Holley does. Stay away from Holleys if at all possible and learn how to make a Quadrajet run right and you will be much happier in the long run.

Also, if you have not done so already, get rid of the computer HEI distributor and replace it with a non computer one. I would get one from MSD as they make the best aftermarket HEI in my opinion. By the time you replace everything in a junkyard HEI with what they give you in their new one, you really aren't saving anything and your 30+ year old advance mechanism is likely shot and not going to hold a proper advance curve anyways. I have that problem with my 1978 HEI and will likely replace it with one from MSD in the near future. To see if you have a Computer or Non-computer HEI, check to be sure it has a vacuum advance can on the side of the distributor, on the passenger's side of the engine I think. If so, you have the right distributor. If not, and you have a 4 wire plug on it, you have the computer one and it will run like crap until you change to the right one.

BTW, if you live anywhere near where I live ( Tampa area of Florida) I would be willing to look at your car for free to help you get it sorted out. I'd just ask that you came to my house for me to do it. There are likely a lot of little things wrong and I could sort them faster in person than on the net.