Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

I figured it's time the Chevelle got its own topic. This one won't see many posts for a while however, since it runs just fine except for something killing its battery and it can't be driven thanks to the tires. We just got a new grille emblem and door mirror for it. Trying to persuade the dad and my Pappaw to get it the new tires it needs. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...-29766-003.jpg

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

If you're talking an unknown battery drain and unless you've already tried this, the below may help get you closer.
Pull the Neg battery connection and put a test light between the Neg Clamp and Neg battery post.
If the test light bulb lights up, indeed something's draining it.
Leave it connected w/ test light on and pull the fuses one by one until test light goes out...this indicates the culprit circuit.
Reinstall fuse and hook battery back up then investigate all items powered by this identified circuit.
Good luck!
[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]
~ Pete

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

You can also check the alternator for a bad diode. Common source of a drain, even though the alt can charge (though at 1/3rd reduced capacity).

<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/xgikeXt91vM"></param> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param> <embed src="https://www.youtube.com/v/xgikeXt91vM" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"> </embed></object>

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

I'll have to check this stuff. Right now my main concern is the tires. They're about as old as I am. Charge lasts long enough for how we'd use it for now anyway.

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

I hear you on the tires, but they cost money. Diagnosing your drain is free and can happen in the time ut takes to get tires and install them.

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

you're not driving that beauty because of tires??!! get on your local kijiji and find some cheap used BFGs...gorgeous car.

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

1. That'd be craigslist. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]
2. You'd not be driving it on them either. Badly cracked where the tread meets the sidewall. I'm trying to convince them. Pappaw's ok with it, it's Dad that is the roadblock.

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

This is not my grandfather's first Chevelle. Back in the late 80s he had a '68 blue post car with a 6 cylinder. He pulled the six, and dropped in a 425 horse 350 he built along with a saginaw 4 speed (the one I asked about). He put a Posi with 3:55 gears in it too. Exhaust was a pair of glasspacks. He sold it and kept the motor and trans. The 350 went into an 83 Z28 he had, and was backed by a reverse manual valve body 3 speed (TH350 or 400, not sure which) that had 4:10 gears and glasspacks. That burned to the ground and the motor and both transmissions sit in his garage. Unfortunately I don't have pics of the 68 Chevelle. Kind of funny how he had a Red Camaro and Blue Chevelle in the 80s, and now he has a Blue Camaro and a Red Chevelle. Actually, he's owned this Chevelle since 1997. The Camaro came home after restoration October 23, 2004. He had the 68 Chevelle somewhere around 1987. I have receipts for parts from when he built the 350 from '87. Just felt like sharing this. I'll ask him if he has any pictures of the '68 soon.

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...95-7rzo3mg.jpg
https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...96-aswhxlr.jpg
Scanned some old pictures of the mural it had. Pappaw didn't really like it (nor do I, I usually like murals, I just don't fancy this one) and as you can see it needed bodywork anyway.

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

Do you realize how <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">OLD</span></span> you are making many of us feel when you are talking about your <span style="font-style: italic"><span style="text-decoration: underline">grandfather's</span></span> cars? [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/haha.gif[/img]

Just teasing you, thanks for posting. I was never a fan of murals, but I can definitely relate to the time when stuff like that was popular!

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

Those pics are from '98 or '97. Either it survived 20 years or that's when it was done.

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

Yanked the spare tire out of the trunk today (I was bored and decided to clean the trunk up.) and it sits a little higher now. Has a pretty nice rake to it. No pics as the angles were terrible with the Camaro being so close to it.

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

That trunk lid would be a terrific piece of garage art!

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

Well, I was bored and decided to see if I could remove the rust on the tailpipes with carb cleaner and sandpaper. They're not reflective anymore, but they look really good.

https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...-40561-045.jpg
https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...-40562-046.jpg

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...-40577-005.jpg

There was quite a bit of red overspray on the exhaust pipes. Gone now.
https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...-40578-013.jpg
https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...-40579-001.jpg

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

Tuneup time! This thing runs like crap right now. Probably has a lot to do with the fact that the plugs probably haven't been changed since the Clinton administration.

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...-41351-002.jpg
https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...-41352-007.jpg

Brillo pad really took care of the rust. Tires MAY happen this week. It's Spring Break and getting this thing on the road is my mission.

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JRC99</div><div class="ubbcode-body">https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...-40577-005.jpg

There was quite a bit of red overspray on the exhaust pipes. Gone now.
https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...-40578-013.jpg
https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...-40579-001.jpg
</div></div>
Beautiful Chevelle with a beautiful stance. Your grandfather had good taste. For rust on original surfaces that you don't want to ruin or take off, you can soak a rag in Evaporust and wrap the part. You can also use naval jelly sometimes. That always worked well for me on chrome.

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

Thank you! Also, that'd be 'has'. Still around, still as awesome as ever! Next to none of the car is original (the motor is a CE stamp, which IIRC means a replacement GM engine.) so it didn't worry me to strip the old chrome on the tips. Yeah, it sits good. A lot of them seem really fairly low. This one doesn't, and I love it. It just looks <span style="font-style: italic">pissed off.</span>

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

...Aaaand it's broken. Replaced the rear tires last night, today I went to jack the front up and missed the cross member and dented the hell out of the oil pan. Ugh. I feel so stupid right now.

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

Welcome to the school of hard knocks, we've all been there at one time or another. Life has no rewind button. Time to get down and replace it and gain some more knowledge. You'll be ok. You'll enjoy the project..

BIG

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

It'll be fixed. It just pisses me off because this means the car'll probably sit all summer. Again. For the 9th year in a row.

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...-42430-003.jpg
https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...-42431-002.jpg
https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...-42432-001.jpg

New tires and the damage to the pan. Mechanic's handling this one. Coming to pick it up Monday.

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

i don't see any damage

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

It's dented pretty bad. Worried the tube in it got screwed up.

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

you could drain the oil and rent or buy a scope tool and see if the oil pickup is bent. then you could possibly make a tool to work most of the dent out thru the drain hole.
i think on those Chevelle chassis you actually have to pull the engine to get the pan off.

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

Unfortunately, this looks to be true. It's all set up though, so the mechanic is coming to get it Monday. Then we have to do a tuneup (It's easy and cheaper to do it ourselves) and fix the passenger door latch (Doesn't open from the inside.) and then drive the piss out of it. L78Racer, you're from Clinton Township? What's your car look like? Wonder if I've seen it. I'm in Garden City.

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

butternut yellow '68.

https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...5_stantonc.jpg

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

Nice car, can't say I've seen it, though.


May not be running, but I did push it out. Damn, I love this thing. Can't wait to ride in it this summer, since it's basically been driven four times since 2007.
https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...-42471-025.jpg
https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...-42472-015.jpg

This shows the very cool rake the new tires gave it. Instead of 225/70/15 all around (what it had before) it now has 255/70/15s on the rear, and 225s on the front.
https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...-42473-030.jpg

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

Also, I'm worried about wheel hop. I've never seen it do a hard launch, but one wheel has a wobble in it. How do we eliminate this without lowering the rear?

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

Sent it off to get fixed a few minutes ago.
https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...-42519-005.jpg

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

Dad and I drove it home today. Running really badly (I think it's on 7 cylinders) and the front tires rub pretty bad, despite being the exact same size they've always been.

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

Make your mechanic fix it...why would you accept it like that?

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

We only wanted him to fix the oil pan. Plus we already knew it needed a tune up and would rather do it ourselves.

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

How did it run before it got towed to him?

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

Exactly the same. I trust him, my grandfather's taken his cars there for years.

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

Are the front springs sagging or do you need a narrower tire?

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

I'm not sure. I know it's not the tire, as it's the exact same size as it was before and they never rubbed. My theory is probably incorrect, but I feel like the rake it has made the front lean down a bit if that makes sense. Almost like weight transfer. Probably wrong though.

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

My old big block 1968 Camaro SS had a similar problem when I owned it; had to replace the original front coils to correct the tire rub problem.

Re: Grandfather's 67 SS Chevelle.
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JRC99</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'm not sure. I know it's not the tire, as it's the exact same size as it was before and they never rubbed. My theory is probably incorrect, but I feel like the rake it has made the front lean down a bit if that makes sense. Almost like weight transfer. Probably wrong though. </div></div>

Actually I was going to suggest the very same explanation since the problem started after you added the bigger rear tires.