The Bronze Brick a Very Unusual 9C1

[vanrah]

Greetings Guys; Maintenance time, about an once & 1/2 of Mystery oil down the intake runners. Then a week later I pull the plugs & wonder what the red fluid is running out of the #8 plug hole. Just enough to run down the starter & on the floor & make a mess. Pulled the valve covers & relaxed the valve springs. I'm convinced that this gives the springs a year or two more life? And of course I get to inspect springs & rockers tips, all looked real good! So for this year I'll try to be more modest as that fancy exhaust system last year broke the budget. It looks like I'll be pulling off the water pump as the driver-side gasket has failed (why?). And I might as well have the radiator boiled out, it doesn't appear to have much build up, but I purchased it back in the late 80's. I've always used distilled water (NO lime) & that seem to improve the life a lot. Power Tour & other big events really tax you cooling system. And with 30% under-drive pulleys my AC doesn't work very well, engine temps have reached 210F, so it's time to make some changes. I contracted Pulley Spec out of Texas as I'm running their billet steel units (heavy). Back when I purchased these few aluminum pulleys were available & mostly for show. Now you can get anything you want at Alice's restaurant (sorry I got off on a Arlo Guthrie moment). Anyway now days I can get deep groove hard anodized aluminum any diameter I want. I'm looking at maybe 10% under drive with hard coat anodize? So if I take this route sometime in the future I'll post my 30% under-drive set up. I've never had a belt come off or flip in the 25 + years I've been buzzing this thing 6000 + RPM. Take care Ol'e Bob.

 

[vanrah]

Happy new Year everyone; Radiator is Clean & pressure checked to 18 PSI. The radiator guy said " that copper brass dissipates heat faster than aluminum"! And that the only reason we see so many aluminum units is they're lighter & cheaper to build? Anyway I figured out why the water pump gasket failed, owner (semi human) error. Apparently when I had new bearings & seals (Edelbrock will rebuild their pumps) installed a few years ago, I didn't back off the cam thrust adjuster enough and the gaskets were thinner? Hence it wouldn't tighten down against the block as the cam thrust adjuster was holding it off the block? Age related news It's still for sale, but I'm under no pressure to sell any longer. So as I make out my will the daughter will get it if it's not gone by the time I pass. That's not say'in that the right Individual with the right Offer won't take it. It's just takes the burden off my wife if I go first or we both go at the same time. In the next couple of weeks I plan to order the new pulleys (crank & water pump) with 10% reduction & may have already sold the 30% under drive units? May the goddess of Speed be with you, Ole' Bob.

 

[vanrah]

Greetings guys; Well my pulley education has been up dated some. What I had was a 25% under drive at the crank about 5-3/4" dia. vs 7-3/4" OE. And another 8% (6-5/8" vs 6-1/8" OE?) under drive on the water pump. So the water pump was 33% under driven & the power steering, AC & alt were only 25% slower. I ran this combo for many years around Wisconsin, to Car Craft Nat's 3 times & Power Tour a half dozen times. Only experiencing trouble twice, once at the Wisc Dells as I was stuck in traffic for 3 hours on a 95* day. I seen engine temps reach 210 & another time at Car Craft Nat's again 90+* & raining. The AC (25% under-driven) just couldn't keep up idling in traffic, windows closed of course. So those pulleys are for sale, I'll post them in the days ahead with pictures. The new ones are 12% under-drive at the crank with a OE dia. (6-1/8") on the water pump. The old ones are billet steel (that's a solid chunk of steel) machined on a lathe or machine center, NO Run OUT. They will never wear out & I never tossed a belt, but they're heavy and are best suited for street, auto-X or road course use. I did drag race the car of course about 30 passes in the last 20 years! Anyway I want to get this Bronze Brick back on the ground soon as spring is less than a week away. Of course Mother Nature is all messed up, record warmth in Jan-Feb & now near record cold. So I would like everyone to Think Spring, Ole' Bob.

 

[vanrah]

Greetings Guys; Well last Friday Mother Nature was good to us Wisconsin guys. I got the Bronze Brick out flushed the cooling system with soft water with the block drain cocks open & the heater on full hot. Wanted to make sure that I got the heater core flushed also, with engine running of course. Then opened the radiator drain (engine off) & let it drain dry. For all of the 37-1/2 years I've owned this I've alway used distilled water in the cooling system with anti freeze. But this time I just refilled with distilled water & some additive. Took a little drive around the area just to get everything lubed up in the trans & diff, & make sure the brakes still work. Still to much sand & gravel on the roads to jump on it from winter. Of course the salt is long gone as we didn't have much winter & little cold. Rain in January, Mother Nature is all messed up. I did get started on my will & willed it the daughter but told her if I sell it before I sign out she will only get cash? Damn it's a b*tch getting old, little strength left & alway sore. But I'm still on the right side of the grass. This winter round of fun working on the car has brought home the fact that I can't do this very many more winters! On the up side I moved the ole' work car (2005 GuTOo) into the hobby shop as I want to up date it a bit before I get too damn old to do anything. It ran 13.3 bone stock. I put shorty headers on it & ran 13.1. So now I'm putting Hi flow mid pipes on it sending the OE cats to the spare parts pile. And I'm going to bite the bullet & have the ECU (computer) tuned by a younger (mids 50's) LSx nut. I just don't care to have other people work on my automobiles, too damn fussy I guess. But I have no other choice as I can't set the timing, change the jetting or tweak the trans, it's all in the ECU. I should also mention that I'm porting the intake, so easy it's plastic! Take care, Ole' Bob.
Ps: A few pictures you have already seen.

 

[Texas82GP]

Greetings Guys; Well last Friday Mother Nature was good to us Wisconsin guys. I got the Bronze Brick out flushed the cooling system with soft water with the block drain cocks open & the heater on full hot. Wanted to make sure that I got the heater core flushed also, with engine running of course. Then opened the radiator drain (engine off) & let it drain dry. For all of the 37-1/2 years I've owned this I've alway used distilled water in the cooling system with anti freeze. But this time I just refilled with distilled water & some additive. Took a little drive around the area just to get everything lubed up in the trans & diff, & make sure the brakes still work. Still to much sand & gravel on the roads to jump on it from winter. Of course the salt is long gone as we didn't have much winter & little cold. Rain in January, Mother Nature is all messed up. I did get started on my will & willed it the daughter but told her if I sell it before I sign out she will only get cash? Damn it's a b*tch getting old, little strength left & alway sore. But I'm still on the right side of the grass. This winter round of fun working on the car has brought home the fact that I can't do this very many more winters! On the up side I moved the ole' work car (2005 GuTOo) into the hobby shop as I want to up date it a bit before I get too damn old to do anything. It ran 13.3 bone stock. I put shorty headers on it & ran 13.1. So now I'm putting Hi flow mid pipes on it sending the OE cats to the spare parts pile. And I'm going to bite the bullet & have the ECU (computer) tuned by a younger (mids 50's) LSx nut. I just don't care to have other people work on my automobiles, too damn fussy I guess. But I have no other choice as I can't set the timing, change the jetting or tweak the trans, it's all in the ECU. I should also mention that I'm porting the intake, so easy it's plastic! Take care, Ole' Bob.
Ps: A few pictures you have already seen.

Hang in there Bob. You're only as old as you let yourself be. Fight it for as long as you can friend.

 

[L67ss]

What console is in it?

 

[vanrah]

Hi L67 & all; I made the console out of wood & aluminum then took it the auto interior shop & had it covered with the same vinyl that he put on the door panels & head rests. The seats are leather, all to match. I did make it a bit too wide. If I was doing it again I would make it about a 1/2" narrower. I started with cardboard, made temp lets & transfered to plywood (sides). Thanks for askin' Ole', Bob.

 

[drogg1]

Hi L67 & all; I made the console out of wood & aluminum then took it the auto interior shop & had it covered with the same vinyl that he put on the door panels & head rests. The seats are leather, all to match. I did make it a bit too wide. If I was doing it again I would make it about a 1/2" narrower. I started with cardboard, made temp lets & transfered to plywood (sides). Thanks for askin' Ole', Bob.

Looks great! You old fogies and your tissues! I know an old college professor who drives a Tesla Roadster and sometimes lets us students test drive it. Cracks me up every time to see he has tissues on the console in such a high performance car.

 

[vanrah]

Thank you guys for all the likes & kind words. Mr Drogg1 you lucky devil, you've driven a Tesla? Not many of us get to drive a $100,000 automobile! Tissues, ya from as far back as I can remember I've had allergies during the fall until the last few years. I don't know why they have subsided, age I guess. And I used a seat belt since 1965 when I installed them in my 55 Chevy. So with belt fastened it's damn hard to get the hanke out of back pocket fast when your belted in! Now days their for the runnie nose & eyes that come with age. Plus I have a 4 point harness in the Bronze Brick, & I basically can't move once I get strapped in. You may ask why I used belts so early when cars weren't even required to have belts. Well some may of said that I drive (or use to) to the limits (physics) & if ya got in the car with me & didn't fasten up ya would be bangin off the door panel or dash. Never had a seat back break, but they were tested often. Back in 62-63 when it snowed we would go out to the back roads where the ditches were shallow & see how many 360* (donuts) we could do before we ended up in the ditch. Get out & push the car back on the road & do it again! As things turned out, we learned how to drive. This should be required for now days before you get a license! This may be why I like to Auto-X so much. Ya I like to drag race also. I wish that Hot Rod would do an event that required those two events plus a high way cruise of a couple hundred miles. And that would be the Fastest Street Car! Of course I like Drag Week & plan to be at Byron, but just as a spectator. Many Drag week cars would be far out classed by our street cars on the Street, or a Auto-X & road course. In my opinion they have gone too far down the drag race theme, ignoring pot holes & Corners.
So how many of you guys are considering coming to Byron for Drag Week? Since I live so close I'm willing to meet up & break bread, drink beer. Ole' Bob.

 

[vanrah]

Greetings all; I want to thank a couple of you guys (307 Regal & UNGN) for encouraging me to go road racin'. I'm an eye blink form puttin' my money down, $245 not cheep. Black Hawk Farms, five 20 minute sessions on the track with an instructor. I've got to decide by June 1st! For the last 4 years I've been battling a seeping carb & have come to the conclusion that my ProForm main body has porosity. Of course Holley now owns the name-business & getting it warranted is proving to be a problem. And it seeps so slow that it doesn't show up under all conditions. If I drive it any distance, engine gets hot fan blows, gas evaporates. But cool weather a shorter low speed drive & wet gas is setting on the base-throttle plate with a wet main body throttle plate gasket. It's been driving me Nuts, wait a minute, I'm close enough to walk! But the good hearted fellas at Holley said that they would send me a new one after pleading my case, but that was over two weeks ago! So I'm at wits end & considering buying a new carb & transferring all my orifices, jets, bleeds & restrict ors?? So if I'm going to race in mid June I gotta sh_t or get off the pot. So now instead of $245 ++ front tires $300, I gotta add a $550 carb to the mix (I'll have spare parts to sell). So going racing will be over $1000. Not counting brakes & breakage! It's amazing what us car Nuts will do to have Fun. I hope the goddess of Speed is with me. Wish me Luck guys, Ole' Bob.
Ps: Check out my new for sale post, hope to get it up soon.