Welcome Corvette Fans
To Len and Mindy's Millenium Money Pit!
About 30 years ago during College, I worked at a Sunoco station and just about every weekend this Hot-rodded '62 Corvette would come in to gas up. This guy never let me touch his car, he always gassed up himself. The Vette was painted a beautiful white mother of pearl type paint and was always spotless. Sticking thru the hood was a huge tunnel ram topped by twin Holley carbs. The exhaust note will stick with me forever. In the rear he had something I had never seen before and thought it was an awsome mod. He had a LeMan's flip-top fuel filler attached directly to his gas tank. Since those days, I vowed that if I ever got a Vette, the LeMan's filler just had to be part of the car. It took me a while....but I got one.
June 30,2001----This is the LeMan's flip-top fuel filler. It is the same type used on original AC Cobra's and Baldwin Motion Phase III Corvettes. It's long been a dream of mine to install one on my Corvette. I knew from the onset, that if I would ever own an old Corvette I would try to adapt one of these caps. I couldn't have accomplished this without the help of Rolling Thunder from Corvetteforum.com. The man is a genius. I had some rough drawings of the adapter which is needed for the LeMan's filler to mate to a Corvette tank. Rolling Thunder used these simple drawings, transcribed them to Excel and drew up actual machine shop blueprints to have the flange fabricated from aluminum stock! The problem is actually more complex than it appears. We wanted an adapter which would bolt directly to the stock gas tank. The problem being, a lot of C-3 tanks are different. On some tanks the flange area is flat, and on others the tank flange sits at a 15 degree angle! Add to that the fact that the cap should be installed paralell with the deck and you've got problems. I give Rolling Thunder a lot of credit for seeing this project through. Without Rolling Thunder's help, I'd still be dreaming about my LeMan's flip-top filler.
June 30,2001 This is where I tried to get a shot of the inside cavity, or the flange area. The cap screws onto the aluminum flange and then the flange is screwed onto the tank using the original bolt holes. A trim piece covering the remaining portion of the hole will need to be made.
From 1967 to 1969, the hottest street Corvette was the 427/435 L71. Not a bad ride for most folks. But Joel Rosen isn't "most folks."
Rosen owned Motion Performance in Brooklyn, New York in the late '50s and '60s, and was having considerable success as a local drag racer-tuner. In '67 Joel struck a deal with the owners of Baldwin Chevrolet, in Baldwin, New York, to make 427-engine versions of the new Camaro. When the '68 Corvette came out, Joel knew that he had to make a special red-hot version. The '69 Baldwin-Motion SS-427 Phase III Corvette was born.
The deal with Baldwin Chevrolet was that Motion would perform all of the conversion work and the car's warranty would still be maintained. To keep everything balanced, the car was beefed up, inside and out! You simply could not miss these cars. Even sitting still they looked nasty and serious. A '67 427-style hood scoop was grafted on top of the stock 427 hood along with a Pontiac hood-mounted tachometer. The wider tires were covered with wheelwell flares. Side pipes were either '65-'67 style, '69 style, or Hooker Header side pipes. An optional fastback window opened up the luggage space. Finished off with a unique stripe design, the car looked like a killer.
The 427 received an 850 Holly three-barrel on top of a high-rise manifold. Ignition used a modified Mallory setup with Ramcharger wires. Other goodies included a close-ratio Muncie four-speed, blow-proof clutch, heavy-duty suspension, and 60-series tires on Anson Sprint wheels. Every Phase III car was guaranteed to run 12.50 et @120 mph with a M/P approved driver at a NHRA or AHRA track.
Unfortunately, Rosen was a high-profile, big fish in a small pond. In 1974, after seven years of building super cars, the Feds threatened to shut down and fine Rosen $50,000 per car for violation of the Clean Air Act. Rosen's lawyer explained that he wasn't operating a huge assembly line. Luckily, Joel got off with just a $500 fine, but the party was over. That's what a little too much success, publicity, and horsepower can do to you.
Recently, Rosen was able to buy back the last Phase III Corvette he made, a 1974 model.
Rosen owned Motion Performance in Brooklyn, New York in the late '50s and '60s, and was having considerable success as a local drag racer-tuner. In '67 Joel struck a deal with the owners of Baldwin Chevrolet, in Baldwin, New York, to make 427-engine versions of the new Camaro. When the '68 Corvette came out, Joel knew that he had to make a special red-hot version. The '69 Baldwin-Motion SS-427 Phase III Corvette was born.
The deal with Baldwin Chevrolet was that Motion would perform all of the conversion work and the car's warranty would still be maintained. To keep everything balanced, the car was beefed up, inside and out! You simply could not miss these cars. Even sitting still they looked nasty and serious. A '67 427-style hood scoop was grafted on top of the stock 427 hood along with a Pontiac hood-mounted tachometer. The wider tires were covered with wheelwell flares. Side pipes were either '65-'67 style, '69 style, or Hooker Header side pipes. An optional fastback window opened up the luggage space. Finished off with a unique stripe design, the car looked like a killer.
The 427 received an 850 Holly three-barrel on top of a high-rise manifold. Ignition used a modified Mallory setup with Ramcharger wires. Other goodies included a close-ratio Muncie four-speed, blow-proof clutch, heavy-duty suspension, and 60-series tires on Anson Sprint wheels. Every Phase III car was guaranteed to run 12.50 et @120 mph with a M/P approved driver at a NHRA or AHRA track.
Unfortunately, Rosen was a high-profile, big fish in a small pond. In 1974, after seven years of building super cars, the Feds threatened to shut down and fine Rosen $50,000 per car for violation of the Clean Air Act. Rosen's lawyer explained that he wasn't operating a huge assembly line. Luckily, Joel got off with just a $500 fine, but the party was over. That's what a little too much success, publicity, and horsepower can do to you.
Recently, Rosen was able to buy back the last Phase III Corvette he made, a 1974 model.
The coil spring on the left is the original. The spring on the left is the newer and shorter coil. The shorter springs brought my fender lip height down from 28.0 inches to 27.5 inches. I then removed 3/4 of a coil and that lowered my front end another 1 inch. My fender lip height is now at 26.5 inches and has a lowered look.
Here's a transcript of a discussion I had regarding the proper placement of the front coils:
(8:36 PM 10/30/2003) mbeeman350: 70 Stingray, thanks for the information on the springs. What part of western PA are you in? I use to live in western MD. Anyway, from the pix, I like the stance of your car. What size wheels - tires do you have? How much clearence form the top of the tire to the lip on the wheel opening? or from the ground to this lip? I have 28 1/2 inches even with 235/60/15's!! Where did you get your spring?
thanks again Mark
(9:55 PM 10/30/2003) 1970 Stingray: I live in Western Pa, just noprth of Pittsburgh. I'm using 16x8 wheels with 255-50-16 tires.
How much clearance? I'm not sure. I'd say I can get 2-3 vertical fingers between the tire & fender. My fender height is at 26.5 inches.
The new springs I got from Advance Auto, they're TRW stock SB springs and I paid about $48 for the pair. If you're on a budget, get the stock replacement and cut them if needed. Start small, maybe 1/2 a coil and then install to see the resulting height. don't forget to tighten the control arm bushing bolts with weight on the tires.
(10:33 PM 10/30/2003) mbeeman350: thanks
(10:41 PM 10/30/2003) mbeeman350: 70 Stingray, did you have to shape the ends of the spring after cutting? (heat and bend) Do the springs seat in the top or bottom or both? Did you cut 3/4 of the new spring?
thanks again
Mark
(4:08 AM 10/31/2003) 1970 Stingray: Yes, I cut 3/4th of a coil from the bottom of the spring. Actually a little less on the passenger side. Each side was a little different. It's very important that you seat the spring in the upper pocket. You can feel the grooves in the upper pocket and align the the end of the spring with that groove. There's an observation type hole in the upper pocket so you can see the actual positionig of the spring. It must me in the pocket and also centered. It might be helpful to have someone look in the upper hole from the engine compartment while you position the spring below.
(4:21 AM 10/31/2003) 1970 Stingray: The two biggest mistakes a lot of guys make (myself included) are not having the upper spring in the socket and tightening the CA's while the car is in the air. You can tighten them somewhat, but don't torque them down till there's weight on the springs. The positioning of the bottom of the spring isn't that important. Mine never aligned with the groove in the CA.
Cut the spring with a hack saw or cut-off wheel on a grinder or drill. Don't use heat or a torch. Heat will change the spring rate of the metal. Yes after cutting the spring, I flattened a small portion of the bottom of the spring using a grinder. Not too much though.....maybe 3-4 inches long.
Don't be surprised if you can't get the upper spring positioned correctly right off the bat. It took me six tries before I got it right and no one pointed out to me that the upper socket is the key. I was learning by trial & error.
Good luck---let me know how it turns out. One last tip. When you install the new spring, the short spacing between the coils goes in the upper socket on the car. It may be hard to tell on the new replacement springs, but if you look or measure closely, you'll see there is a slight difference compared to the other end of the spring.
(4:26 AM 10/31/2003) 1970 Stingray: If you look at the pic I posted, you can see there is a considerable height difference from the new spring. Try is first withou cutting, it may lower the front enough without cutting. Lars and redvetrcr are correct, street rodders have been cutting spring for 50 years. I couldn't justify the cost of the high ticket springs from VBP & others. The guy at the parts store told me that Moog make 96% of all the coils sold in the US and that Moog was owned my TRW. My spring came in TRW boxes. FYI, I think TRW also owns Federal Mogul.
(4:30 AM 10/31/2003) 1970 Stingray: If you've never done a replacement spring before, be very careful when removing the spring. Try to get a heavy chain and run it thru the coil and try to wrap it around the frame. connect the chain together with a long bolt. Lower the lower CA slowly. They've been known to shot out of the lower socket. I don't want to read about mbeeman350 in the newspaper! I didn't have any problems but I alway measure 13 times and cut once.
(8:36 PM 10/30/2003) mbeeman350: 70 Stingray, thanks for the information on the springs. What part of western PA are you in? I use to live in western MD. Anyway, from the pix, I like the stance of your car. What size wheels - tires do you have? How much clearence form the top of the tire to the lip on the wheel opening? or from the ground to this lip? I have 28 1/2 inches even with 235/60/15's!! Where did you get your spring?
thanks again Mark
(9:55 PM 10/30/2003) 1970 Stingray: I live in Western Pa, just noprth of Pittsburgh. I'm using 16x8 wheels with 255-50-16 tires.
How much clearance? I'm not sure. I'd say I can get 2-3 vertical fingers between the tire & fender. My fender height is at 26.5 inches.
The new springs I got from Advance Auto, they're TRW stock SB springs and I paid about $48 for the pair. If you're on a budget, get the stock replacement and cut them if needed. Start small, maybe 1/2 a coil and then install to see the resulting height. don't forget to tighten the control arm bushing bolts with weight on the tires.
(10:33 PM 10/30/2003) mbeeman350: thanks
(10:41 PM 10/30/2003) mbeeman350: 70 Stingray, did you have to shape the ends of the spring after cutting? (heat and bend) Do the springs seat in the top or bottom or both? Did you cut 3/4 of the new spring?
thanks again
Mark
(4:08 AM 10/31/2003) 1970 Stingray: Yes, I cut 3/4th of a coil from the bottom of the spring. Actually a little less on the passenger side. Each side was a little different. It's very important that you seat the spring in the upper pocket. You can feel the grooves in the upper pocket and align the the end of the spring with that groove. There's an observation type hole in the upper pocket so you can see the actual positionig of the spring. It must me in the pocket and also centered. It might be helpful to have someone look in the upper hole from the engine compartment while you position the spring below.
(4:21 AM 10/31/2003) 1970 Stingray: The two biggest mistakes a lot of guys make (myself included) are not having the upper spring in the socket and tightening the CA's while the car is in the air. You can tighten them somewhat, but don't torque them down till there's weight on the springs. The positioning of the bottom of the spring isn't that important. Mine never aligned with the groove in the CA.
Cut the spring with a hack saw or cut-off wheel on a grinder or drill. Don't use heat or a torch. Heat will change the spring rate of the metal. Yes after cutting the spring, I flattened a small portion of the bottom of the spring using a grinder. Not too much though.....maybe 3-4 inches long.
Don't be surprised if you can't get the upper spring positioned correctly right off the bat. It took me six tries before I got it right and no one pointed out to me that the upper socket is the key. I was learning by trial & error.
Good luck---let me know how it turns out. One last tip. When you install the new spring, the short spacing between the coils goes in the upper socket on the car. It may be hard to tell on the new replacement springs, but if you look or measure closely, you'll see there is a slight difference compared to the other end of the spring.
(4:26 AM 10/31/2003) 1970 Stingray: If you look at the pic I posted, you can see there is a considerable height difference from the new spring. Try is first withou cutting, it may lower the front enough without cutting. Lars and redvetrcr are correct, street rodders have been cutting spring for 50 years. I couldn't justify the cost of the high ticket springs from VBP & others. The guy at the parts store told me that Moog make 96% of all the coils sold in the US and that Moog was owned my TRW. My spring came in TRW boxes. FYI, I think TRW also owns Federal Mogul.
(4:30 AM 10/31/2003) 1970 Stingray: If you've never done a replacement spring before, be very careful when removing the spring. Try to get a heavy chain and run it thru the coil and try to wrap it around the frame. connect the chain together with a long bolt. Lower the lower CA slowly. They've been known to shot out of the lower socket. I don't want to read about mbeeman350 in the newspaper! I didn't have any problems but I alway measure 13 times and cut once.