Short version:
• Dimmer switch is fine I have a lot of headlight bulbs with the low beam out
• All fabrication is done for transmission lines
• Inlet ducting straightened, cleaned, and trimmed to allow more air in
• Opened up the center of the front bumper to allow more air in
• Inlet ducts, shroud, radiator all installed
• Test started the car
• Still need to install sandwich adapter and connect engine oil lines
Headlights: Only the high beams work on the Vette, so we tried connecting one of the spare headlights and it only had the high beam working as well. This sent me down a path of assuming the headlight switch was bad. Looked in the factory manual and figured out the wiring. Tried disconnecting the dimmer switch and bypassing it, but it didn’t change anything. Before I got into significant wire troubleshooting I decided to use a test light out at the plug at the headlight end of the harness. Well it showed there was power. With that I picked up the other spare headlight assembly and plugged it in and of course it worked.
Cooling:
During rough assembly, we put the top grommets in the shroud and quickly learned the Frost Bite radiator that is a “direct bolt in” is actually about ¾” shorter than the stock radiator. When Fred32v was over he fabricated extensions for the top rubber grommets. We also did quite a bit of trimming to simplify the install of the top part of the shroud with the radiator and transmission lines in place. While I was attempting to connect the fan to the lower half of the shroud, I learned this was almost impossible inside the car as the power steering cooler is right there in the way. Removing the shroud for this helped facilitate the fitting of the new grommets.
The transmission lines needed additional fabrication – trimmed the factory return line and flared it. Completed bending the line from the cooler to the factory return line.
While the shroud was out I got the idea I should fix the front part of the inlet ducting. The bottom edge was quite bent and it took some straightening to get it right. There is a plastic air dam underneath and it was bent back so not helping push air up toward the radiator, so I took some time to bend that back to correct positioning. I also washed all these parts so I wouldn’t have to handle these dirty parts the whole time.
There is a red deflector in the middle of the inlet which I left, though I trimmed off the bottom part with the intention of letting more air through.
The NCRS judges will approve of the
factory date markings
With the inlet ducting and main shroud out I got the idea that now is the time to open up the front bumper and let some air in that way as well. With these parts out I literally pulled my garage stool into the opening and could sit there in front of the engine.
I started by cutting a hole in the license plate area, then cutting a hole in the fiberglass – yes the bumper is mostly fiberglass.
After that I trimmed back a couple of the aluminum brackets to create a bigger opening. As it turns out this will mostly allow more air to the radiator though about ¼ look like its headed to the air filter.
After those diversions I set to putting it back together. First the inlet ducting, then the main part of the shroud, radiator, then the transmission lines, cutting the short bit of hose I need and making the final connections to the transmission cooler. Next step was to install the top of the main fan shroud, the air cleaner, low coolant sensor and double check everything for tight. Last step was to put coolant in it. It took over ½ gallon more than what came out of the car due to extra radiator capacity.
Up next:
Finish up connection for oil cooler, get the Longacre rear view mirror installed, and mount a fire extinguisher in the car. After that it’ll be a test drive and then off to the drag strip.
