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I purchased this one already with the V-8 conversion complete, Interior is 100 % there, i would give the condition at about a 60% out of 100% spent a few hours on going through the fuel system and carb, it has a edelbrock 1406 4 bbl, was able to pick up a rebuild kit at the local Napa. The fuel lines i replaced today both supply and return, as well as the fuel pump and filters. The vehicle also has a fuel cell So i drained that flushed and filled with fresh fuel. I will include more images to my album as i continue.
Since you have room - the drain from the scuttle area (where the windscreen wiper motor sits) is disconnected on the right hand side - remove the heat shield and the insulation underneath it and see if you have corrosion there - mine had two rust holes under that insulation.
The 2 steel tubes that run along the chassis and dissappears under your battery box
1 is the vacuum lines that go from the brake booster to the receiver (?) tank in front of the wheel.
The other is the air condition line that goes to the dryer (by memory)
I would be tempted to remove these lines and the insulation/heat shield away from this area as well - depending if your air conditioning still works. My air con was not connected when I got mine, so it was easy to remove/inspect. This area had no significant corrosion - but all the paint was gone and would not have been too far away from issues
Will give you an idea of the rust condition of your car.
Also - not sure how big your alternator is - but it looks very Lucas. Been told that the original alternator cannot handle the twin electric fans that I presume you have, since you have enough room to install the battery under the bonnet (the radiator is a long way from the front of the motor), along with supplying all the other electrics on the car
Well it has a aluminum fuel cell, I just rebuilt the carb yesterday, I will include more pix, the break fluid tank float has disintegrated and was sitting as settlement on the bottom of the cup, the 350 is a crate motor and is running a clutch fan, more pix will be added tonight, A/c is converted to 134/A and does work, , there are minimal electronics left from the origional configuration as I can tell, not many of the gauges are working, but I'm ok with going old fashion and installing a set of temp, voltage and pressure gauges...There is plenty of rust, but once again it is a project.
Since you have room - the drain from the scuttle area (where the windscreen wiper motor sits) is disconnected on the right hand side - remove the heat shield and the insulation underneath it and see if you have corrosion there - mine had two rust holes under that insulation.
The 2 steel tubes that run along the chassis and dissappears under your battery box
1 is the vacuum lines that go from the brake booster to the receiver (?) tank in front of the wheel.
The other is the air condition line that goes to the dryer (by memory)
I would be tempted to remove these lines and the insulation/heat shield away from this area as well - depending if your air conditioning still works. My air con was not connected when I got mine, so it was easy to remove/inspect. This area had no significant corrosion - but all the paint was gone and would not have been too far away from issues
Will give you an idea of the rust condition of your car.
Also - not sure how big your alternator is - but it looks very Lucas. Been told that the original alternator cannot handle the twin electric fans that I presume you have, since you have enough room to install the battery under the bonnet (the radiator is a long way from the front of the motor), along with supplying all the other electrics on the car
Interesting conversion and appears fairly well done compared to most, Looks typical for the late 80 early 90's. I love those "wind sail" A/C compressor brackets. The "Contender" intake is a interesting choice. The Edlebrack Performer was more typical back then. The old M/T valve covers are very indicative on the work being done by an old school hot rodder from the 60's or 70's as those were the valve cover to have at that time.
The engine mount looks like a 3 bolt mundorf style mount. The mundorf mounts put the engine a inch further back than some of the other more common and later mounts. This is better weight distribution and something I recommend for driving enthusiast .
One of the fun parts of having a Chevy conversion is the discovery. All these bits can identified and traced back to what they are and paint a picture. For example it would be fun to know what heads are on the engine and how the valve train was setup.
I would describe this car as a period correct conversion and important in some respects as it documents how this was work done. At this time the V12 was leaky, weezy and in some cases unfixable and the chevy conversion was a drastic option that kept these cars out of the crusher.
Interesting conversion and appears fairly well done compared to most, Looks typical for the late 80 early 90's. I love those "wind sail" A/C compressor brackets. The "Contender" intake is a interesting choice. The Edlebrack Performer was more typical back then. The old M/T valve covers are very indicative on the work being done by an old school hot rodder from the 60's or 70's as those were the valve cover to have at that time.
The engine mount looks like a 3 bolt mundorf style mount. The mundorf mounts put the engine a inch further back than some of the other more common and later mounts. This is better weight distribution and something I recommend for driving enthusiast .
One of the fun parts of having a Chevy conversion is the discovery. All these bits can identified and traced back to what they are and paint a picture. For example it would be fun to know what heads are on the engine and how the valve train was setup.
I would describe this car as a period correct conversion and important in some respects as it documents how this was work done. At this time the V12 was leaky, weezy and in some cases unfixable and the chevy conversion was a drastic option that kept these cars out of the crusher.
Thanks for the kind words, you asked about the alternator, it is a 36 dollar Autozone part they keep 100,s of them on the shelf. I have lots to do still I will post body images later, to show all the exterior rust spots
Good Luck with the headers. I'm lumping my 89 XJS with a 460 Ford. Knowing there were no off the shelf parts, or even some aftermarket ones such as the for the chevy engines. I had to build a custom set. I tried several ideas before I came up with running the steering shaft between the front 2 tubes, and the rear 2 tubes. I originally tried to lower my rack and moving it to the left figuring it would allow more clearance. Bad Idea as I realized very quickly that the engineers earned their keep, on figuring out the geometry on the steering, and I quickly moved the rack back into place, and welded the mounts back where they were to begin with. Have a look at my Jacobra Posts it will give you some idea of what I had to do. Mind you, my headers are not beautiful by any means, but they will be functional. Besides I'm building a Hot Rod not a show car. Good Luck
Good Luck with the headers. I'm lumping my 89 XJS with a 460 Ford. Knowing there were no off the shelf parts, or even some aftermarket ones such as the for the chevy engines. I had to build a custom set. I tried several ideas before I came up with running the steering shaft between the front 2 tubes, and the rear 2 tubes. I originally tried to lower my rack and moving it to the left figuring it would allow more clearance. Bad Idea as I realized very quickly that the engineers earned their keep, on figuring out the geometry on the steering, and I quickly moved the rack back into place, and welded the mounts back where they were to begin with. Have a look at my Jacobra Posts it will give you some idea of what I had to do. Mind you, my headers are not beautiful by any means, but they will be functional. Besides I'm building a Hot Rod not a show car. Good Luck
Jack
You have a big block I have a little tiny baby Chevy 350 i may cut the headers and have straight pipes come right through the hood
