70 C10 resto-mod (was Chevy culture shock)

New favorite feature, can't swing the alternator far enough to take the belt off without removing the valve cover. ;-\
 
These stories remind me of my first car, a 1962 Daimler SP250. It had a steel rail chassis with all the running gear attached and a fibreglass body bolted on top.
I needed to replace the rear shock absorbers which were lever arm units bolted to the side rails. Problem was the bolts couldn’t be removed as the body was in the way. The only solution was to unbolt about 3/4 of the body mounts to lift the body high enough to clear the bolts! It was a horrible car in many ways but had a very nice 2.5 litre (152 cubic inch) V8 motor.
 
There are several SBC alternator mounting solutions if you don't mind changing from original.
 
Anybody remember the Lunima Z34? Alternator mounted beside the oil pan on the firewall side. Next to impossible to cool in that spot. GM added a fan and duct to bring air to it. Still they died as the high amp loads of modern cars with small frame alternator don’t mix.
To get the old one out was a nightmare. Frame in the way, engine in the way, everything in the way!
As for the burning out alternators either turn off ac etc while driving at slow revs or in a standard shift to a lower gear to pick the revs up was the only cure. We were replacing dozens per month of these small frame units.
Pierre
 
67-72 Chevy truck forum is great, but their account management is tragicomic. Waiting 2 months for them to bless my free account so I can post, and now they've forgotten I ever logged in.
 
got the weepy q-jet rebuilt and it hisses like an angry snake, runs on, and reacts slowly to idle mix screws. Squirting carb cleaner at the base increases revs, but it pulls 17" Hg, so kindasorta mixed results. Idle mix screws were pretty far out, so may have traded several little leaks for one big one. Pulled it back off to check/recheck some base settings and interplay so I'm not chasing settings based on bad assumptions.
Side note: this thing has a heat shield which I presume to have been retained for a reason, like percolation, but requires sealing 4 surfaces rather than 2. Going to put some Hylomar-like-dressing on these thick, hard gaskets so I can avoid torquing them down hard and increasing the risk of warpage.
So far it's been fun figgerin' out how these stupid-simple pieces work together, and what are quirks vs problems
 
got the weepy q-jet rebuilt and it hisses like an angry snake, runs on, and reacts slowly to idle mix screws. Squirting carb cleaner at the base increases revs, but it pulls 17" Hg, so kindasorta mixed results. Idle mix screws were pretty far out, so may have traded several little leaks for one big one. Pulled it back off to check/recheck some base settings and interplay so I'm not chasing settings based on bad assumptions.
Side note: this thing has a heat shield which I presume to have been retained for a reason, like percolation, but requires sealing 4 surfaces rather than 2. Going to put some Hylomar-like-dressing on these thick, hard gaskets so I can avoid torquing them down hard and increasing the risk of warpage.
So far it's been fun figgerin' out how these stupid-simple pieces work together, and what are quirks vs problems
I traded 1 hour labor for a virtually new Edlebrock Performer quadrajet to replace the crudely installed Rochester 2bbl on my 350. For another hour's labor I received a matching manifold from another customer. After reading up on quadrajets, I traded 6 hours labor for the installation to someone who knew more about engines than computers. Went from 6.5 mpg to 12.8!
 
I traded 1 hour labor for a virtually new Edlebrock Performer quadrajet to replace the crudely installed Rochester 2bbl on my 350.
Performer is 1400 series, which is square-bore? 1900's are q-jet/spreadbore, no?
Free upgrade from 2-4bbl is very cool either way
 
Performer is 1400 series, which is square-bore? 1900's are q-jet/spreadbore, no?
Free upgrade from 2-4bbl is very cool either way
You're asking the wrong guy. Air-cooled Volkswagens I know, V8s not so much.
 
Pictures are worth …..

The spread bore QJet on the left and square bore on the right. Caption is misleading!
DAA6C5E6-E8C3-4D13-8B0A-52D24C8EED3C.jpeg
 
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