NTX5467

When I put Cibie Euro-code headlights in my '77 Camaro, it was just a normal headlight change, as if I was replacing the OEM headlights with a aftermarket sealed beam. NO wiring differences, just plug 'n play. The Euro-code lights have a better beam pattern for better "down the road" light than normal sealed beams have. Safer night driving without having to be on "high beams" all of the time. I'm using "Euro-code" and "H4" to mean the same thing. Some people like to run their headlights off of a relay which uses direct battery voltage rather than not. In some cases, this will get the lights to full voltage rather than the lesser voltage through the headlight switch. There are conversion kits for that, which you are referencing. NTX5467

Perhaps when you diagnose the reason that those two plugs look different, you'll also find the reason for the smell? NOT related to "modern fuel", just inefficient burning of such. NTX5467

One advantage, "digital" can't get "parallax", if that matters. "Analog" means you have to really know how to do something right, in so many cases. As to digital displays, how do you know when that last digit is rounded-up to the next digit? Is it like .449=.50 or .499=.50? When a meter scale could allow the user to make that determination. Not knowing how that is done on a digital read-out, I prefer a meter with a needle. And a thin needle on a good meter scale. FWIW Enjoy! NTX5467

Get an inline electric fuel pump, as used on some GM diesel pickups possibly, hook it to the fuel pump inlet hose, then drain it effortlessly from that direction or possibly also use a long rubber fuel line hose inserted into the filler neck? Use approved gas cans for storage or transfer. Then, when weather warms/drys, put fresh fuel in it (5 gallons at a time) and check the gauge calibration. Enjoy! NTX5467

How big are those holes in the intake manifold? Why the 750cfm carb???? Getting a new carb can be good in many areas, plus everything will be new and should work and adjust as desired. Start looking for a 3/8" thick carb base gasket with the narrow mounting pattern. With the heat track passages plugged, no need for the OEM-style items, so you can use normal stuff. Chrysler AFBs used the narrow pattern until 1968. NTX5467

Curious why #1 and #7 have different colorings on the ceramics? Remind me which ignition system is on the engine? NTX5467

To me, a dial-back timing light has many uses other than just setting the base timing. Much better than an old timing tape on the balancer (when that was "high-tech") or making other marks on the balancer and trying to make sure they were accurate. Some claim only the newer, digital dial-back units are accurate, but my old Sears dial-back unit never had any issues. Enjoy! NTX5467

You may need to learn about the workings of a carburetor. Reason I say that is that there are some passages which can accumulate hard deposits in them, which can only be removed mechanically, and a carb "rebuild" will not affect, from my experiences. Enjoy! NTX5467

No heated garage for your treasure? Agree on the need for a full tank to decrease condensate forming. The question I have is where was 94 pump octane E0 fuel found? NTX5467

("electric heater/functional choke") Which AFB is on the car? Why block the heat track in the manifold? Yet wire the heat riser open? Is the carb base gasket the two-piece item (stainless steel plate and then the soft gasket on top)? Just my experiences (50 years ago), even AC plugs are better than Bosch. No problem with the wider gap, but .040" might be easier on the coil. Forget all of the sounds, just get the engine adjusted to factory specs. THEN worry about idle smoothness and "resonances". Which cam is in the motor? What mpg on a freeway run of 100 miles or so at 60-65mph cruising speed? Just curious, NTX5467

Most of the tachs had dwell scales at their bottom scale, usually. But always look.

NOT to take away from the video, but the 1957-way was to raise the door, insert an Allen wrench, index it to the nut inside, then turn it CCW until the engine misfires. Note the position of the wrench's short side. Turn the wrench CW until the engine misfires, noting the position of the wrench. Turn the wrench to the 1/2 way point between the misfire points. Done. No meters or grounds involved. I read that in a book published back then, well before dwell/tachs were commonly available, when they were still only in the larger shops or at dealership shops. I thought that was pretty neat! Enjoy! NTX5467

The same way that magnetic resonance is transferred from the engine to the heater core on some Park Avenues at a particular rpm, making the heater core huuummmmmmm. Buick TSB on that!

The last company truck I had was a '23 Silverado Custom, with the standard 2.7L High-Output Turbo 4cyl. 310 horsepower and 430 torque, with the 8-speed GM automatic. When I first heard they put a turbo 4cyl in a 1/2-ton pickup truck, I laughed, back then. After I got that pickup, which had previiously been in our load car fleet for about 4K miles, I looked at the power figures and thought . . . not unlike the base 4bbl 396/325, 383/325, and 390/300 motors of the middle 1960s. Add in the 8-speed lower gear ratios for good measure. Power with much improved fuel economy, was the result. I never did "see what it would do", but in normal driving it certainly ran better than prior 4.3L V-6s and not that much different than 5.3L V-8s in 1/2-ton pickups. THEN I started researching the engine and discovered that it probably has more power left in it, IF anyone might desire it. With a 4-cyl, the twin-volute turbo can work well, with a more uniform flow from the exhaust manifold. In some cases, I could still feel a tinge of turbo lag, but by the time it was starting to be noticed, the trans had downshifted, the "calvary" arrived, and the right rear tire was starting to make noise. Which, not wanting to look like an over-aged hot rodder, I backed off the throttle a little bit to keep the rear tire quiet. That truck, to me, needed a PTrac! THAT would be fun! AND . . . all of this in a 5Klb 4-dr short bed pickup truck! I was more interested in what MPG it would produce, as I had already determined what the prior 5.3Ls could do in my freeway drives with cyl deactivation and such. It was close enough to 25mpg that it would be tolerable for an every-day commute as an only vehicle, too. Several YouTube videos from GM on the engine and others from actual owners proved that GM Powertrain did a great job with that engine. I would not be afraid to own one, either. Which makes the smaller Colorado (with the same engine) in the same power output a more appealing vehicle, too! Forget the off-road versions, think "Sports Truck" that is more comfortable on a road course than on a rocky trail! Not unlike the prior Dakota 5.9L R/T pickups! THEN I discovered that little 2.7L Turbo motor can produce 27psi of boost! YIKES! Other than the twin-volute turbo, obviously, computer modulation of the waste gate/boost curve is a key factor in the production of 400 lbs/ft of torque from about 1500rpm upward. Which can also mean "not a lot of throttle input" for "interesting" acceleration and greater ultimate fuel economy. Great job, GM Powertrain!!! NTX5467

The beauty of the 1960 Buick is that it looks like it's moving, in "stop action", when it is sitting still. Great styling! NTX5467

Not having researched things, BUT were all ST300s ONLY behind 2bbl V-8s with the 4bbl V-8s needing something a bit looser? Key point would be to determine why that ST300 converter was "too loose" behind the bigger engine. Did fuel economy go down? Did the driver always change throttle positions as he drove down the road? Several factors involved. As to the Firebird w/Olds 403 . . . I owned one of those cars for approximately 24 hours, once. I was getting a bit unpleased with some things on repair on my '77 Camaro Type LT 305, so I noticed a '79 TA, Red with t-tops, on our used car lot. I went up to investigate it, with the intent of trading my Camaro for it. The speedo and tach being swapped in location from the Camaro's locations could take some getting used to, but otherwise the car was pretty much what I would have ordered back then (other than the color). I did notice that the factory Goodyear radials would soon need replacement, all around. I also noticed one of the Prestone "flush adapters" already in the heater hose, too. With the 403, it would lay two stipes of rubber, as PTrac was standard on TAs back then. So I signed the papers and arranged to do the trade the next day. Then, when I was getting the Camaro cleaned out that night, I got a bit sentimental and looked at what I had and decided I would only be getting more car payments. Plus the unanswered question about the flush adapter being in the mix so soon. NOT to forget how much trouble it would be to just check the air filter! So, I backed-out of that deal. My mother later discovered that her student (the prior owner) liked to "lay rubber" with the car, which explained why all four tires needed to be replaced at 20K miles from new. I think I was better off, personally, for my situation. I always liked those Firebirds, for many reasons, and still do. But my desire to own one has passed, as I still have my trusty Camaro (with some upgrades and enhancements along the way). I always liked Oldsmobile V-8s and respected their engineering as being some of GM's best, with their hierarchy in the GM lineup being near the top, they could do "more expensive" things that Chevrolet or Pontiac (due to cost considerations) generally could not, back then. Obviously, emissions tuning hurt them more than some other similar motors, but the basic design always seemed to be good and durable. As to the Olds 307 and 260, both "good" engine sizes, just that by that time, too much car weight with not enough gear in them to work as they could. With some modern upgrades (including self-learning EFI also controlling the ignition) and an 8-speed automatic behind them, with 3-series gears, I suspect they would perform much better than they did in the "need to get fuel economy days" of the 1980s. OR . . . better optimize the fuel/air mix with an annular discharge venturi carburetor, a true-dual exhaust, dual converter exhaust system (but quiet), with more optimized ignition timing and such, backed by an OD automatic with a bit looser lock-up torque converter. I suspect that might help things all the way around AND be incognito. Enjoy! NTX5467

(Now, why would a classy Riviera be driving on that "dirt road" in the hills if it was not involved in something "sinister"?) Bernie's "crop dusting" could be anywhere, like remote Alaska, headed to a fishing village. Enjoy! NTX5467

Try this to go to the Automotive History Preservation Society website . . . //autohistorypreservationsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/1963-04-MT-BUICK-Riviera-test-1-6.pdf The complete road test, including a picture of how the Turbine Wheels work. For the heavier 1966 GS with 3.42 rear axle ratio . . . //automistorypreservationsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/1966-02-CL-1966-Buick-Riviera-GS-Test-1-5.pdf See if those work, NTX5467

Early '70s, that's recent history . . . until you stop to count the years. Yikes! THEN you stop to consider all of the neat things you've done and then you smile.

I never did see any specs on stall speeds from GM, back then. I do know that the 1977+ Z/28s would all spin their rear wheels against the foot brake at 1800rpm when new. They came with a V-6 torque converter from the factory. On my then-new '77 LT 305 2bbl, it would go to about 1600rpm with no wheel spin against the brake. The V-6 converter was also used behind the L82 Corvettes, which had THM350s behind them. Only things I did see had to do with using 4cyl, 9" or 10" converters for V-8 drag cars, with the highest stall being the 8" Opel torque converter. NTX5467

The turbo cars probably had a looser torque converter, too.

Dale also had a '70 Dart Swinger 340 that was well-finessed as to drivability. It was running better than when new, so he wanted to race it in the NMCA class for it, but needed some better tires. Which was the first contact with Team TA. I had been to some autocrosses and noticed what tires they were running, knowing that those tires had to grip great after the first 20' of travel. Looking at tire specs, I discovered a Z-rated BFG tire that fit the D70-14 size specs perfectly. I told Dale and he talked to his team TA contact. So he contacted our Discount Tire operative and got a set ordered. When they arrived and were installed, they looked great and "just right size" on the car. After some break-in miles, he took it to the track. It shot out of the hole as some claimed they sounded like slicks, so they crowded around the car to see which slicks he had. No slicks, just "normal" BFG radials. LOL They did not know about Z-rated tires at that time, but they learned. Enjoy! NTX5467

Tire paint? Back when the BFG Drag Radials had just come out, I had two friends who raced in the factory stock nostalgia class. One with a '70 Hemi 'Cuda and the other one with a '71 Challenger R/T 6-Pack car. I had been working with Dale (the Hemi 'Cuda) with getting some incognito tires for his car, which were better than stock and within the durometer specs for the NMCA rules. We had a car club friend who worked for Discount Tire (who could source BFG tires). Dale had also talked to "Team TA" at BFG, too. When the Drag Radials came out, Dale got a pair, but wanted to disguise them from Jeff (Challenger). The Drag Radials were blackwalls with no white letters, so Dale got some white latex house paint and painted-in the BFG letters on the sidewalls. Looked a big jagged up close, but at 20ft, not bad. So they got to their next race and pulled up beside each other. Dale did a dry chirp then staged. When the light got to green, Dale was gone. Jeff didn't know what happened. One give-away was that the softer rubber of the Drag Radials picked up gravel on teh way back to the timing tower. Unusual! Which Jeff noticed and then realized he "had been had". We all got a good laugh out of that. THEN, about a week later we got a recon report that a freight truck had delivered several sets of Drag Radials to Jeff's father's repair shop. LOL. Those were some fun times! NTX5467

Back in the later 1950s, my favorite uncle lived east of Houston and worked the night shift as a maintenance tech at a petro-chemical plant. He had two young daughters and a wife. He drove Oldsmobiles or Buicks. The car he had back then was an Olds 88, mid-50s. In buying tires, he opted for the blackwalls and then put Port-O-Walls on it, with the orientation that he could change them to the next car he bought a few years later. He also liked to drive fast, as did his wife. One morning, when he got up, his wife asked what happened to one of the whitewalls. Answer . . . it must have flown off on the way home. On the typical two-lane road lined with trees, no telling where it ended up OR how high it went before it returned to earth. Back then, I always got a kick out of that story. Plus the possible look on the tire guy's face when my uncle showed up needing a new whitewall. Enjoy! NTX5467

One time back in about 1983, I walked across the service drive of the local Porsche+Audi dealer to get to the parts department. I waksed past a 924 that had been hammered and it was only a few years old. I thought "Some people buy a Porsche and treat it like a Volkswagen". Similarly "Some people buy a Cadillac and treat it like a Chevy, then complain when it 'falls apart'". Some people, by observation, do not understand "the machinery" and how to make it perform its best. When they try to make it do something it was not really designed to do, it is "junk" (to them, as if THEY were the ones to bestow such a title blithely). The BEST driver/vehicle "partnerships" happen when the driver learns what the vehicle "likes" and then exploits those attributes to the mutual benefit of all, as to normal driving with some "verve" every so often. Did you hear the story about how Rolls started to use the GM THM400 automatic, then tried to improve it? PM me for details. Take care, NTX5467