Project #2 77 Astre Safari wagon

[patrick1151]

Pictures

[Buscop]

Great tale, but why didn't you just pick it up with a truck and trailer? And why, for some strange reason were most of the H-Body Wagons painted such an ugly colour? I painted my a different colour as soon as I could. Hate that beige. or tan or whatever GM called it...other then that....loved the story and looking forward to what you will finally do with the Wagon.

[patrick1151]

Buscop, Cant pick the car up with a truck+trailer, that would ruin the fun of getting them home . My Skyhawk I have coming later this summer/early fall may not have an engine in it and I may have to finally tow one home. I dont know what will happen with this wagon in the end, I have a supposedly 30000 mile Vega wagon coming quickly and I wont keep 2 wagons so one will be sold. The better of the 2 will be kept and of course it is a yellow wagon too. As for the colour, I kinda like the yellow but two yellow cars is too much, one will be repainted some day.

[Astre-mutt]

What year is the other wagon? If it's a 74-77 Vega for me it's no question, I would keep the Astre. There not nearly as common as the Vegas. If it's a 71-73 I wouldn't want to have to make that decision. When making a decision I would also consider what you want to do with it. This my sound silly, but I sometimes wish my car had some rust. If it had some rust I probably be driving a Pro Street Astre. But with my cars body being so nice I can't bring myself to cut it up at all.

[patrick1151]

Well time to update this Pain in the butt car I guess. Recently bolted in my good gas tank, my new fuel pump, new carb and everything else and well I have to do everything again. It was running pretty decently but as soon as you took your foot off the gas, it would die.

I guess the new fuel pump is no good and it is now discontinued in Canada of course. So out comes the gas tank this weekend and the conversion to the in the tank pump is going to happen. Thank you very much HiWindingMonza for the block off plate for the fuel pump.

Hopefully if I am getting a decent supply of fuel to the carb, this will eliminate other issues or help solve them.

Next the carb, ARRRGGGGHHHHH I hate carbs and working on them. Much easier to get a new one but of course its discontinued in Canada. Sighhhh. So it looked like I had two problems, 1. Vacuum leaks 2. Choke didnt appear to be working properly. My old carb is one I cobbled together out of an old Vega carb and the origional carb from this car. And as anytime I try to repair carbs, they usually never work properly again, I dont trust the one I cobbled together. I thought I might have solved the choke issues with the new carb so now its just a matter hopefully of tracking all the vacuum leaks down. I knew there was a reason why monzaman77 bought his wagon. I will park it next to mine and compare the two to sort things out.

I badly badly need to get this car on the road, hopefully next week.

[Astre-mutt]

Do you have a problem with eBay? Everything your looking for is available. Carbs are under $80. Fuel pumps around $30.

[patrick1151]

Yep, I bought one of those fuel pumps, they are wrong the inlet pipe points straight at the block. I bought one before and gave up trying to make it work.
The vast majority of those carbs on Ebay are Vega carbs for the 140 and have the hot water choke system on them. While you can convert it as I did with Carb #2 for this car, it doesnt seem that reliable. I have emailed a few of those carb sellers and no one has the correct carb for the 77 and up 151.

[BillPappy]

I won a corvair on Ebay Some 8 years ago around March It getting warm here. . The Car Seattle WA. Good driver. Sweet car runs good.. My new girl friend and I took a plane out and drove it back to TN. LOL

I wish I could write as fluid as patrick. Good story patrick I injoyed it..

[patrick1151]

Time for a quick update. I almost reached the point of crushing this car but I am not going too now. After the overheating problems, head gasket and distributor issues. If this car does not start and run this weekend, its getting a 3.8/th350 transplant.

[patrick1151]

Well it runs, managed to get it started and running not too badly this morning. I still have an oil leak from the push rod cover that I cant defeat but hey it runs. Off to the muffler shop next weekend and maybe I will have a running car finally YAY!!!!!!!

[patrick1151]

Well after sitting for months with no progress, things are about to start happening again. I will be yanking the 151 out in the next couple of weeks and replacing it with a sbc, still not sure if its the 262 or a 305 but I think its a 262. I will update here as the swap goes.

[gt350fme]

Hang in there dude, in the end it will all make since, vrummm vrummm.
TC

[res0o7eb]

Hey, patrick1151,
This is the first time I've read you Project Journal. I didn't know about it. Very interesting story - nice read.
I hate to see you give up on the 151 - a Pontiac engine - and replace it with a Chevrolet V-8. But, it is your car and you do what you want.
As I mentioned in our PM exchange recently, the 1977 151 is the same motor as the Mercruiser 120 and 140 engines. There are many marine parts available for those boat motors that will certainly fit on Pontiac. We have a huge thread over in the Engine Tech are on the 151 and the marine pedigree.
Check it out: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=916

[Astre-mutt]

Hey, patrick1151,
This is the first time I've read you Project Journal. I didn't know about it. Very interesting story - nice read.
I hate to see you give up on the 151 - a Pontiac engine - and replace it with a Chevrolet V-8. But, it is your car and you do what you want.
As I mentioned in our PM exchange recently, the 1977 151 is the same motor as the Mercruiser 120 and 140 engines. There are many marine parts available for those boat motors that will certainly fit on Pontiac. We have a huge thread over in the Engine Tech are on the 151 and the marine pedigree.
Check it out: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=916

Marine parts are good, but racing is better I'm sure it will be great ride what ever motor you use. I always thought about doing a Pontiac Super Duty (iron duke) Then the E-tec came along, now I'm just confused Look forward to see what you do.

[res0o7eb]

I always thought about doing a Pontiac Super Duty (iron duke)

Those parts work on the cross-flow headed motors from 1979 and on. If you like the SD, you'll REALLY like the DOHC SD engine. Check out the thread mentioned above - there are lots of go-fast ideas.
Still, the marine head has big-ports and big valves and was available at Pontiac dealers up until the '90's. I think. The same head is available NEW on ebay for about $375-$400.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... 0169036535
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... 0369338701
The Mercruiser 140 is a stroked version of this motor increasing the displacement to 181 cu. in. I have one of these crankshafts at the machine shop, right now. I probably need to go pick it up.