New from Colorado

BryanB75

Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2010
Messages
15
Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Good morning,

Checking in from Colorado Springs. Recently picked up a L-48 75 Corvette with 43k miles that had been in my brother in laws garage. Car was not moved or started in 20 years. Bumper had cracked, mice were inside..you know the story.
So far, I have bought new bumpers, carpet and insulation, seat foam and new leather covers, VB&P sport front suspension, and poly body mount bushings.
Just got the engine and trans out this weekend. Anyone ever seen a TH-400 behind a L-48? The new bullet is a 425hp 355 bcked by a 700R4. The rear was rebuilt with new 4:10 gears and posi just before it was parked.

I do need some brake advice. Apprently there was some leaking of the MC when it was parked. It was bone dry. I want to upgrade the brake system. What's the best bang for the $$$. I don't want/need Brembo style brakes but do want something that will not fade on days when we going driving through the mountains. I looked at the C5 upgrade but not sure that would be better than say a Wilwood setup....thoughts?

I'm doing a search as we speak on the brake stuff so don't kill me yet ;-)

Pics later
 
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Welcome to the motley crew....

IMO, I would be very surprised if your calipers were NOT Stainless Steel lined on the bores, but you have to tear them apart to see that, and while at it get some O ring pistons/seals from VBP, it's what I have, and toss those lip seals and backing springs away.....
get a good parts house m/cyl..... replace the hoses, and maybe the steel lines....I would ditch that 'proportioning' valve also, if it was me....they leak and can allow air into the system...

IMO, after all that, and you really positive you have NO air in the system, and the runout is less then 6 mils on the rotors, and you not happy with the pedal feel.....you maybe want to ditch the vacuum booster and put on a hydroboost conversion....I"m told Astro vans make the best candidates...

depending on your driving, even with O/drive that 411 gearset is a killer for the tracks, but even then, it's too much with that 3-1 first gear ratio in the 700.....you going to kill the tires....and if you street drive it, the tranny won't even get car moving and into 2nd gear....

I THINK '75 was last year for the 400 tranny.....after that they went thm350...

:drink::smash::yahoo:
 
Supposedly the brakes were replaced with Stainless brakes just before if was parked in 1989-90. All the rotors have a nice layer of rust over them. The NC was bone dry and looked to be full of rust. The pushrod between the MC and booster was well pitted at the seal between the 2. I'm expecting to either replace the booster or just go to a manual brake setup. I will be pulling the brakes completely off this week as I get the engine bay and all the front cleaned up to put on the VB&P sport suspension. If I can do the brakes on the cheap now and just replace the seals I will. Otherwise I wlll be upgrading to something better
 
Mickey don't seem to have fared too well there, that WAS a mouse, I presume....rat??

shame to let a car set so long....I regret selling my old cars over the decades...but to let them set that long....I dunno...

but the thing looks like a good project there....have fun....

how's the frame/birdcage??

:drink:
 
Birdcage is fine.
Yes, it was a mouse
Pretty much all original rubber bushings and body mounts are shot. I have all of the replacement ones (poly) and have been soaking the body mount bolts for a week.
At least the car was in the garage and I have almost no $$$ in it. I will have several $$$'s in it when it hits the road this spring. Luckily this isn't my first resto project so I'm not afraid of what I might find.
 
Welcome to Vette-Mod.

I'm up in Loveland.

Don't cheap out on your brakes. That was the first thing I needed to to do to my 73 when I got it and I thought "well, I don't need hot-rod brakes, it's just a street cruiser, I'll just replace the stock stuff with stock type o-ring seals, etc. " blah blah blah. So I bought OEM-replacement calipers from VBP. They work well, no complaints.
But....
Well the more I "fixed up" my old car, the better it ran, and the it better ran, the better I wanted it to be able to run. It runs pretty goddam good now. (Just ask my insurance company!!) And then I came across a jam which really fucked with me --the brakes. Specifically, the calipers as they relate to wheels, and thus tires.
Those frigging OEM calipers limit your wheel choices so much it really sucks. 15" wheels & tires are pooches. They don't call them "balloon tires" for nothing (Go back to your thirties automotive history to understand that reference.) But unless you spend wads of money to buy special "Corvette" wheels of 17" so you can get good tires --or use spacers and such crap to, er, ""Afro Engineer"" it--(& forget 16", those are so 'yesterday' and you cannot find good tires of the right size for our cars). And in the end, you'll still have 35 year old brakes. (Shit, they came into production in 19friggin65!!! 45 friggin years ago!!)

Spend the extra money now and go Willwood or whatever for your calipers.
You won't regret it down the road, you'll be glad you did. Your choice of wheels, and thus tires! will be so much greater.

And don't EVEN worry about "keeping it stock for collector/resale value". There were so frigging many of these cars made in that time, that's why they are so cheap to buy now. Build it the way YOU want it to run, not how you think it will sell---unless of course, that's what you want from it. But if that's the case, you more than likely will be disappointed anyway....

With good modern 17" tires, you can make a midnite run to La Junta (although, why?:sick:) at 130 all the way, or pass traffic on Red Mountain pass into Ouray like they were standing still with full confidence. Unlike if you're running 15" balloon tires....
And--even though they may be "disc brakes" they are still woefully inadequate for any kind of 'spirited driving' in todays world. You'll understand what I mean, coming down Wolf Creek Pass into Pagosa Springs, way up on the great divide....

John
 
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Welcome to Vette-Mod.

I'm up in Loveland.

Don't cheap out on your brakes. That was the first thing I needed to to do to my 73 when I got it and I thought "well, I don't need hot-rod brakes, it's just a street cruiser, I'll just replace the stock stuff with stock type o-ring seals, etc. " blah blah blah. So I bought OEM-replacement calipers from VBP. They work well, no complaints.
But....
Well the more I "fixed up" my old car, the better it ran, and the it better ran, the better I wanted it to be able to run. It runs pretty goddam good now. (Just ask my insurance company!!) And then I came across a jam which really fucked with me --the brakes. Specifically, the calipers as they relate to wheels, and thus tires.
Those frigging OEM calipers limit your wheel choices so much it really sucks. 15" wheels & tires are pooches. They don't call them "balloon tires" for nothing (Go back to your thirties automotive history to understand that reference.) But unless you spend wads of money to buy special "Corvette" wheels of 17" so you can get good tires --or use spacers and such crap to, er, ""Afro Engineer"" it--(& forget 16", those are so 'yesterday' and you cannot find good tires of the right size for our cars). And in the end, you'll still have 35 year old brakes. (Shit, they came into production in 19friggin65!!! 45 friggin years ago!!)

Spend the extra money now and go Willwood or whatever for your calipers.
You won't regret it down the road, you'll be glad you did. Your choice of wheels, and thus tires! will be so much greater.

And don't EVEN worry about "keeping it stock for collector/resale value". There were so frigging many of these cars made in that time, that's why they are so cheap to buy now. Build it the way YOU want it to run, not how you think it will sell---unless of course, that's what you want from it. But if that's the case, you more than likely will be disappointed anyway....

With good modern 17" tires, you can make a midnite run to La Junta (although, why?:sick:) at 130 all the way, or pass traffic on Red Mountain pass into Ouray like they were standing still with full confidence. Unlike if you're running 15" balloon tires....
And--even though they may be "disc brakes" they are still woefully inadequate for any kind of 'spirited driving' in todays world. You'll understand what I mean, coming down Wolf Creek Pass into Pagosa Springs, way up on the great divide....

John

John, I can't argue the roads you speak of, never been there OR recollect anyone that has.....all I can say is that the additon of a Hydroboost unit to the stock brakes makes the car more than adequate for stopping....IF racing surely only the balls out solution will do, and at some high price too....

the easiest/cheepest solution for wheels/tires is a 200 bux (locally) set of 17x9.5" C4 rims and VBP adapters....
they are at least VETTE rims/wheels and not some whatever casting made in never land today....

style, well, I like 89-90 the best ....painted black center spokes,and aluminum rims....

but then again I not wealthy enough to do that stuff for high bux....

:drink:
 
John,

I tore the stock brakes apart yesterday. I've got some feelers out now for some Wilwoods. I'll do that at least for the front, most likely rears too. Just ordered all new replacement brake lines today. At least the car was mostly free :eek:
 
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