joe_padavano

If you are that deep into the engine, free diagrams from the web wouldn't be my first choice. Spend the money and buy yourself a real factory Chassis Service Manual - a paper original, not a PDF copy that was scanned and lost details.

I know there are companies who do this now. That isn't the point. The issue is how much is that company paying for liability insurance. Whether they choose to absorb that liability insurance cost or pass the insurance cost on to the customer is their call.

Except that the car isn't all original and has had some amount of disassembly for the vinyl top removal and repaint (and who knows what else). $37K is aggressive but probably not out of line for a dealer's asking price. I'd expect this car to sell at about $29K.

Whether you think so or not, the company making the part will have a legal liability. If they are smart, they will pass this cost along to the customer. As for your own concerns, it's not an issue until you try to make an insurance claim. Insurance companies will use any excuse possible to get out of paying a claim. And even if there are not NOS pieces available, there are a LOT more used ones in Japan than there are here.

I'm willing to bet that the cost of buying and shipping from Japan will still be less expensive than having one custom made. If nothing else, the cost for the custom glass house to assume the legal liability for a DOT-compliant windshield will be enormous.

Glenn brings up a fair point on the VIN derivative stamp. The trans stamp, which appears unmolested, uses the same fonts as does the engine stamp. The engine stamp just looks too perfect for me, but I guess every so often things do go right. Here's the build sheet rotated for easier reading. It does show C08, so definitely a vinyl top car, which confirms the repaint. The cowl tag will show paint code 43 G, as shown in box 79 of the build sheet. It would be interesting to know how the trim holes were filled - proper welding or just filler. Note also that the RPO T44 hood lock was added after the car was delivered, as it does not appear on the build sheet.

I was thinking the same thing

That isn't clear. The upholstery isn't showing that much wear, and replacement material for that doesn't exactly grow on trees. More likely is that the car just sit for a long time, which is why all the brake and fuel system parts appear to be new. I question the hose clamped braided fuel line.

Nearly every 1967-1972 GM A-body that came from the factory with disc brakes also had 14" wheels. The problem isn't the diameter, it's the fact that in the 1960s GM made two styles of 14" wheels, those that cleared disc brakes and those that only fit drum brakes. In the photo below are two 14" GM wheels, disc-brake on the left and drum-only on the right. Outboard is to the left for both. Note the difference in the shape of the dropped section of the rim (yellow vs. green arrow), which allows much more clearance for the caliper on the disc-brake wheels. There are companies that sell disc brake kits that claim to clear these drum brake wheels, To do that they use a Vega-sized 10" rotor (stock in these cars was 11") and a smaller caliper. The result is that you spend a ton of money for disc brakes that provide no more stopping power than did the drum brakes. If your issue is retaining original 14" hubcaps and tires, get the 14" disc brake wheels.

This is the tool I most hate to reach for...

Fremont car, apparent repaint, some aftermaket parts on the engine. Clearly the car has been gone through (repro underhood sound deadener mat. RPO L34 350 4bbl motor. Obnoxiously droning Flowmaster exhaust system. Aftermarket radio. Later-model (1975-newer) SuperStock III wheels with snap-in centers. Build sheet is nice. The "numbers matching" engine appears to be a restamp. Below are the stamp from the car for sale and a known factory stamp from a different 1972 block. Note the difference in the "3", for example. You be the judge.

They didn't replace strength. They damped out deflections to reduce NVH problems like cowl shake.

I got my Vacula for $15 at the Long Beach swap meet about 30 years ago. No one (including the seller) knew what it was. I've since bought another one for $25 at Carlisle. 😁

The air leakage around the bleeder screw threads. With the Vacula and constant vacuum that isn't a concern because all the air goes into the bleeder, not back into the system.

You're kidding yourself if you think there's a specific temp for each mark. Use that gauge more as an indicator of trending. If it's constant at a particular mark when you drive, it's fine. If it starts creeping up in traffic then watch it more closely. If you really want to calibrate it, get an IR thermometer and verify what the marks are.

Just to confirm, is this an aftermarket GM-style HEI with coil-in-cap, or is this an electronic points conversion in the stock distributor (which is not "HEI", despite what people call it)?

TVS is thermal vacuum switch - it opens or closes vacuum ports depending on coolant temp. EFE is early fuel evaporation, which is the heat riser in the exhaust manifold outlet that closes when the engine is cold to route exhaust through the crossover under the carb to promote fuel vaporization. Newer cars used a vacuum actuator rather than the old bimetallic spring. EGR is exhaust gas recirculation, which is the vacuum operated valve typically bolted to the exhaust crossover on the intake manifold, next to the carb. The EFE&EGR-TVS shuts off vacuum to both of those systems until coolant reaches a certain temperature. DS stands for distributor source, which is the vacuum source that controls the vacuum advance VMV is vacuum modulator valve, which blends two different vacuum sources to achieve the desired vacuum signal to the vacuum advance can. The emissions controls use a combination of a thermal vacuum valve (DS-TVS) and a vacuum modulator (DS-VMV) to obtain the correct vacuum advance curve depending on engine temperature and load (engine vacuum is an indicator of load on the engine). SVB is secondary vacuum break, which is typically a vacuum diaphragm that controls either choke opening or secondary air valve opening (or sometimes both on a Qjet). That SBV-TVS is the thermal vacuum switch that provides vacuum to the SVB once coolant reaches a certain temperature. As noted above, manifold vacuum is the vacuum level inside the intake manifold. Ported vacuum (also called timed vacuum) is sourced from ports slightly above the throttle plates in the carb. With the throttle plates closed, there is zero ported vacuum. As you start to open the throttle, the throttle plates uncover these ports, which then see manifold vacuum. The timing of this can vary depending on where the ports are relative to the throttle plates. Some carbs have more than one set of ports in the throttle bore to provide vacuum signals with different timing relative to throttle position. It pains me to say this, but the complexity of these vacuum-operated emissions controls suggests that computer-controls are the better way to go. A throttle position sensor, coolant temp sensor, and MAP sensor pretty much give you all the info you need.

Here's a more comprehensive list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Vehicles_with_four-wheel_steering

There were a number of vehicles with AWS in the 1980s. https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a35287962/tested-1988-four-wheel-steering-benefits/ Even GMC offered a pickup with the feature (called Quadsteer) a few years later.

400 Pontiac or 403 Oldsmobile?

I don't know where the OP is located, but while I agree with recoring the original, real radiator shops are a dying breed. Here in the Northern VA area, there is only one left, and it's an hour each way for me.

Wildcats used the B-body platform.

So long as there is continuous vacuum on the system (as provided by a Vacula or similar vacuum bleeder) then this is a non-issue. The air cannot physically get into the brake system, only into the bleeder. The problem I've had with the Mityvac is the risk of air getting back into the system when you pump it.