1975 Vega GT

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Re: 1975 Vega GT

Postby NVEGAR8D » Mon May 23, 2011 3:39 pm

Hi,
way to go BadBowtie!!!
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Re: 1975 Vega GT

Postby BadBowtie » Tue Jun 14, 2011 12:56 am

Been a while since I last updated big car show here on Saturday and i need to get some bugs worked out. Exhaust is done and it sounds awesome, gauges are installed and look awesome. My headliner unglued, which isnt awesome but will get fixed after the show.

Four small problems that I need to get fixed soon.
1. Alternator isnt charging
2. Rear diff needs to go 3/4" forward however spohn arms cannot shorten only lengthen (my father spoke with them and they will try and work something out for me).
3. Still have tire rubbing issues, might run an 8" rim to get rid of some of the sidewall bulge.
4. Car is overheating, going to try by turning the fan on earlier and driving at reasonable speeds (and get alternator working so i get full power to fan).
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1975 Vega GT sbc, Microsquirt w/Edelbrock MPFI, M21 4-speed and Ford 9"
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Re: 1975 Vega GT

Postby Kenova » Tue Jun 14, 2011 3:18 pm

The dash looks good. :th:
Makes me want to start hacking up my Vega.

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Re: 1975 Vega GT

Postby BadBowtie » Wed Jun 15, 2011 6:04 pm

Went for a test drive yesterday with some friends (around the block), fixed the charging issue (bad alt) and brought the rear end in 1/16" and it made a difference however spohn has agreed to shorten mine and make them truly adjustable in both directions (thank you spohn!) . However the car did end up overheating, the car ran for a lot longer before getting hot and for a while i did think i was going to be ok, but no success. Also at the end of my drive my front brakes had almost fully locked on BUT i did find evidence of a kinked flextube caught between the spindle and body mount... so now the car is up in the air and I've got to check the whole front end and send my control arms out to spohn. sadly i wont be making the big annual car show in my area which is kind of sad but there will always be other shows! So now i've gotta get my camaro show worthy in a day!

Oh and i made a short video of the test drive yesterday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAZHnysKEBI

Never fully hammered it, but i did ease into it at the end of the video... what a ride :mrgreen:
Last edited by BadBowtie on Tue Jan 03, 2012 12:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
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1975 Chevrolet Vega GT

Re: 1975 Vega GT

Postby NVEGAR8D » Wed Jun 15, 2011 11:59 pm

Hi,
what size thermostat, rad size are you using?
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Re: 1975 Vega GT

Postby BadBowtie » Thu Jun 16, 2011 9:56 am

NVEGAR8D wrote:Hi,
what size thermostat, rad size are you using?
nick75vega


My thermostat is a 160 (might get a new one to make sure its working right)
And my rad is 21"x15" (exposed) and 25"x16" if you include the tanks. It is a 3 core rad.
I'm running one 13" to 15" fan that supposed to flow between 1600-2000 cfm and it goes on at 200 but for the last run I bypassed it on from 160 up.
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Re: 1975 Vega GT

Postby megavega » Thu Jun 16, 2011 11:10 am

here is a couple things that will help, first you can take a 1/8" drill bit and drill about 3 or 4 little holes in the outer perimeter of the thermostat, this will allow some coolant to move at all times instead of a big rush.
Also on your fan set up,(this is where your problem is in my opinion) you need to cover the entire radiator cooling surface area, not just 13 inch of 21 inch space, otherwise your not getting good cooling over those fins. One single fan can work if its in a shroud and that makes it draw air over the entire core of the radiator. The other option is to run 2 electric fans mounted diagnally so that each fan covers half of the radiator, and somewhere along the way every cooling tube is is passed thru/by the fan.


ADD: I just went and saw you have a single fan in the middle and your using it as a "pusher", youd be way better off running 2 10 inch fans diagnolly inside the radiator as suckers, it will cool much better. "pusher" fans are not nearly as good as sucker fans, and the they hamper airflow going down the road. Also, most electric fans are NOT able to be pusher or sucker fans as advertised by way of the fan blade angle, if you hold your hand in front of one and just simply reverse the polarity and the motor (spins backward) youll see the air will only come out on the very edges and nothing thru the middle, its the same exact set up with a airplane prop, if you just put it on backwards, the plane couldnt get off the ground. I would bet money on this is your cooling problem, let me know what the fan is. I have had lots of v8 vegas and the cooling problem is actually very simple if you just step back and take into account whats really happening.
1972 hatchback, 28,000 orig miles, 427BBC/twin T4 turbo's/T56 six speed/big wheels, lowered down pro touring style-work in progress....

1973 vega wagon-under the blue flame knife.
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Re: 1975 Vega GT

Postby BadBowtie » Thu Jun 16, 2011 12:46 pm

megavega wrote:here is a couple things that will help, first you can take a 1/8" drill bit and drill about 3 or 4 little holes in the outer perimeter of the thermostat, this will allow some coolant to move at all times instead of a big rush.
Also on your fan set up,(this is where your problem is in my opinion) you need to cover the entire radiator cooling surface area, not just 13 inch of 21 inch space, otherwise your not getting good cooling over those fins. One single fan can work if its in a shroud and that makes it draw air over the entire core of the radiator. The other option is to run 2 electric fans mounted diagnally so that each fan covers half of the radiator, and somewhere along the way every cooling tube is is passed thru/by the fan.


ADD: I just went and saw you have a single fan in the middle and your using it as a "pusher", youd be way better off running 2 10 inch fans diagnolly inside the radiator as suckers, it will cool much better. "pusher" fans are not nearly as good as sucker fans, and the they hamper airflow going down the road. Also, most electric fans are NOT able to be pusher or sucker fans as advertised by way of the fan blade angle, if you hold your hand in front of one and just simply reverse the polarity and the motor (spins backward) youll see the air will only come out on the very edges and nothing thru the middle, its the same exact set up with a airplane prop, if you just put it on backwards, the plane couldnt get off the ground. I would bet money on this is your cooling problem, let me know what the fan is. I have had lots of v8 vegas and the cooling problem is actually very simple if you just step back and take into account whats really happening.


Wow thanks for the info, the fan I am using I flipped the blade around and reversed the polarity (advertized as reversible fan), I do agree about the dual 10" fan setup and I'm going to be looking to get some. Also i don't seem to have enough room to run a puller setup which is unfortunate because i do have a taurus dual speed fan trimmed to fit, but... no room. Do you think dual 10" pushers would be good enough?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SUPER-15-REVERSABLE-ELECTRIC-FAN-200-WATT-HC7104-/370511206767?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item564430596f

That is my fan but I'm underrating the CFM's because i just dont think its THAT powerful however when its on you feel the air flow pretty good on the other side.

And I will look into the thermostat mod, currently the car has all four tires off the ground and rear suspension disassembled for the next 3 weeks (if i can get the darn parts shipped out) so i will have a bit of time to get it running right.

Any information is appreciated :D
James

1975 Vega GT sbc, Microsquirt w/Edelbrock MPFI, M21 4-speed and Ford 9"
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Re: 1975 Vega GT

Postby Rickracer » Thu Jun 16, 2011 1:49 pm

I would recommend doing what you gotta do to get a puller fan(s) on there. This is from a post I did a few days ago:

Rickracer wrote:There are a couple of fans that seem to work GREAT on V8 S10s, one is the ( 3.8 ) Taurus 2 speed fan, (but it's a little thick and doesn't fit all that well in some applications), the 2nd is the 98 up Intrepid dual fan setup. I'm running that one on my truck right now with a 430 hp Vortec head .080 over 350 (yes, .080 over), and it doesn't matter what the weather, what the load, or whether the A/C is on or not, with a high flow Stant 180° thermostat, my gauge is rock steady at 180°. If you have A/C, the e-fans keep the air blowing cold even sitting in traffic, which is one area where the mechanical fans just cannot keep up.

Here's a pic of the Intrepid fan setup: Image

Here's an idea for a shroud for aftermarket fans: http://v8s10.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=31075 .

Image

Image

Image

Image

We used some small holes in the fan shroud to attach it, there were like 12 of them, the perfect size for self tapping screws, assuring this unit would be sturdy and secure.

Image

Image

Then we bent some aluminum strips, (about .040" thick), to attach the shroud to the radiator core's upper and lower frames, and attached them with self tapping screws as well.

Image

Image

Image

Image


You could cut some square holes in the corners of the shroud and hang a rubber flap over them to allow more airflow through the shroud at highway speeds, ( but the flaps will close when sitting still), we planned that for Eddie's shroud, but it turned out they were not necessary at all. Another thing you will almost definitely want to do is add ducting and/or sealing to make sure that ALL air that enters the grille opening goes through the radiator and not around it, under it or over it. :wink:

BTW, my last Vega had a stout 327 in it for about 15 years, and an 11:1 roller cam 427 in it the last 4 or 5 years before I sold it, so I have dealt with ALL of this before, :wink: 8)
Rickracer
ASE Master Auto Technician, 36+ years
'76 Vega Notchback, Twin Turbo 355/TH350 (soon to be a Powerglide w/Brake), 4 link, Koni Coilovers, 3.50 geared 9" w/Spool & Moser Axles, drag only, best all motor 1/8 mile pass to date, 6.90@99mph, 6.57@107.0 on a 60 shot, Best 1/4, 9.66@139.78, still tuning...
Project Album: http://s68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/Ri ... 20Begins/'
93 S10 RCSB, Hyd. Roller Vortec head 363 ci SBC, 2800stall lockup 700R4, LS Front Brakes, Narrowed F*rd Exploder 8.8 disc brake 3.73 posi rear, 8.0s@89 mph, (all motor, haven't sprayed it yet...)and tows the Vega to the track too
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Re: 1975 Vega GT

Postby BadBowtie » Thu Jun 16, 2011 2:16 pm

Thanks for the info, i work tonight to sunday bout 10-12 hours a day so i wont have much time in the next bit but i appreciate the help! I will see what can be done!
James

1975 Vega GT sbc, Microsquirt w/Edelbrock MPFI, M21 4-speed and Ford 9"
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1975 Chevrolet Vega GT

Re: 1975 Vega GT

Postby waybad » Thu Jun 16, 2011 2:33 pm

Rickracer wrote:I would recommend doing what you gotta do to get a puller fan(s) on there. This is from a post I did a few days ago:

Rickracer wrote:There are a couple of fans that seem to work GREAT on V8 S10s, one is the ( 3.8 ) Taurus 2 speed fan, (but it's a little thick and doesn't fit all that well in some applications), the 2nd is the 98 up Intrepid dual fan setup. I'm running that one on my truck right now with a 430 hp Vortec head .080 over 350 (yes, .080 over), and it doesn't matter what the weather, what the load, or whether the A/C is on or not, with a high flow Stant 180° thermostat, my gauge is rock steady at 180°. If you have A/C, the e-fans keep the air blowing cold even sitting in traffic, which is one area where the mechanical fans just cannot keep up.

Here's a pic of the Intrepid fan setup: Image

Here's an idea for a shroud for aftermarket fans: http://v8s10.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=31075 .

Image

Image

Image

Image

We used some small holes in the fan shroud to attach it, there were like 12 of them, the perfect size for self tapping screws, assuring this unit would be sturdy and secure.

Image

Image

Then we bent some aluminum strips, (about .040" thick), to attach the shroud to the radiator core's upper and lower frames, and attached them with self tapping screws as well.

Image

Image

Image

Image


You could cut some square holes in the corners of the shroud and hang a rubber flap over them to allow more airflow through the shroud at highway speeds, ( but the flaps will close when sitting still), we planned that for Eddie's shroud, but it turned out they were not necessary at all. Another thing you will almost definitely want to do is add ducting and/or sealing to make sure that ALL air that enters the grille opening goes through the radiator and not around it, under it or over it. :wink:

BTW, my last Vega had a stout 327 in it for about 15 years, and an 11:1 roller cam 427 in it the last 4 or 5 years before I sold it, so I have dealt with ALL of this before, :wink: 8)

are the intrepid fans pushers??
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Re: 1975 Vega GT

Postby megavega » Thu Jun 16, 2011 2:56 pm

Your welcome badbowtie, usually you can fit 2 diagnally inside as suckers, one at the upper left and one at bottom right and still clear the waterpump pulley. Thats what I was refering to in first post.
1972 hatchback, 28,000 orig miles, 427BBC/twin T4 turbo's/T56 six speed/big wheels, lowered down pro touring style-work in progress....

1973 vega wagon-under the blue flame knife.
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Re: 1975 Vega GT

Postby BadBowtie » Thu Jun 16, 2011 3:27 pm

megavega wrote:Your welcome badbowtie, usually you can fit 2 diagnally inside as suckers, one at the upper left and one at bottom right and still clear the waterpump pulley. Thats what I was refering to in first post.


I just checked quick because I'm off to work (till 5am) and I only have two spots, one 9x15 and another 7x15 to clear the pulley, would it be better for me to just get two pushers that cover the entire rad area?(http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/10-INCH-FFD-CYCLONE-ULTRA-ELECTRIC-COOLING-FAN-1100-CFM-/110689737462?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item19c59f5af6) Also I'm going to see if i can move the rad forward, but at this point its pretty much set in stone after all the custom work that went to get the rad in there / hoses.

I'll do what i can and i appreciate the input!
Thanks for the help
James
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1975 Chevrolet Vega GT

Re: 1975 Vega GT

Postby Rickracer » Thu Jun 16, 2011 7:28 pm

waybad wrote:
Rickracer wrote:I would recommend doing what you gotta do to get a puller fan(s) on there.....

are the intrepid fans pushers??

No, pushers DO NOT work worth a flip, the only OEM pusher you ever see is on Mercedes or BMW, and those are there for A/C performance, not engine cooling, but they have puller as well, all the rest are pullers. See a theme here? Pushers do not work. :wink: 8)
Rickracer
ASE Master Auto Technician, 36+ years
'76 Vega Notchback, Twin Turbo 355/TH350 (soon to be a Powerglide w/Brake), 4 link, Koni Coilovers, 3.50 geared 9" w/Spool & Moser Axles, drag only, best all motor 1/8 mile pass to date, 6.90@99mph, 6.57@107.0 on a 60 shot, Best 1/4, 9.66@139.78, still tuning...
Project Album: http://s68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/Ri ... 20Begins/'
93 S10 RCSB, Hyd. Roller Vortec head 363 ci SBC, 2800stall lockup 700R4, LS Front Brakes, Narrowed F*rd Exploder 8.8 disc brake 3.73 posi rear, 8.0s@89 mph, (all motor, haven't sprayed it yet...)and tows the Vega to the track too
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1976 Chevrolet Vega

Re: 1975 Vega GT

Postby my79monza » Thu Jun 16, 2011 10:06 pm

In order to use the intrepid fans of course the original fan blade must go for clearance issues but then how do you control the cycling of the fans?
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