It's Alive!!

[Wayne B.]

Well, I put the new leaf springs on and took it for a five mile jaunt to settle them down before tightening the bolts. That's the first time that LT-1 has been on the road since 1988. I found an old emission sticker from 1991 with the mileage one mile less than when I bought it in December of 2000. I know one of the previous owners is deceased and the car sat for awhile before being purchased by the guy I bought it from. All the receipts from the previous owner show it was in the beginning stages of the restoration and at the half way point I got it and began one of those epic parts searches everyone experiences that took me to it finally coming alive again. So, I saw one 70 LT-1 leave the country last month headed for Finland, but this one comes back from the grave to take it's place.

This thing has a 4:11 rear end, first time I drove one and frankly, I have mixed feelings about it. Seems like a lot of wasted low end torque to me, like it should be in a semi pulling 60,000 pounds up a hill. Maybe I'll put a blade on the front end and grade some roads with it or use it to tow M1 tanks in Iraq.

The clutch is still a mystery, it is adjusted all the way out and still just barely disengages at the very bottom of the pedal, which makes shifting gears a major chore, almost impossible. I thought it might loosen up a little as it had been sitting so much. I went back through the receipts and all the clutch parts are new replacements. Think this thing might loosen up or has sitting so long give me the chore of replacing a clutch that is technically new?

[Jim T.]

Re: It's Alive!!

Congratulations on getting your LT-1 on the road. Shooting in the dark here, is the Z bar installed correctly and do you have the correct throwout bearing? My ole 68 clutch works great, replaced the disc and pressure plate in 1972 because my wife slipped the clutch so much leaving a stopped position when she drove that one side of he clutch disc was worn prematurely. (327/350 M21 3:70). She had a whole lot less time at the wheel after replacement and its still operational today.

[Terry M.]

Re: It's Alive!!

I am sad to say that I expect the culprit is either incorrect parts, or an incorrectly installed release bearing. BUT it is prudent to eliminate all external problems, such as an incorrect Z bar, before major disassembly.

[Robert S.]

Re: It's Alive!!

Have you noticed any change in the rear ride height? I believe you mentioned in an earlier post that with the Eaton spring the rear was slightly high.

[Wayne B.]

Re: It's Alive!!

I'll be over there tomorrow and measure. I just took it out for about two or three miles then parked it to let it cool down so I can get under there and torque the bolts, looks like it's setting fine though, it looked high when I dropped it off the jack but it settled down with a little roll down the street. I just put Firestone Indy tires on and I believe the diameter is slightly less than the original tires by maybe a half inch so take that into account when I measure the height.

[Wayne B.]

Re: It's Alive!!

Robert, I measured the ride height today and from the ground to the high point of the wheel well is 28.5". That's with a new set of nine leaf Eaton springs. I installed the springs and snugged them up lightly then drove about three miles and they settled a good bit then I torqued them down the rest of the way.

[Robert S.]

Re: It's Alive!!

OK, Wayne, I was just curious how much one could expect the rear to settle with a little road time. It sounds like you're satisfied with the ride height now.

[Wayne B.]

Re: It's Alive!!

Yes, it sat pretty high at first but it was just coming down off the jack and was flexed up. The key was just tightening the bolts on the springs enough to keep it from falling off then riding a little bit and letting everything stretch out to where it wanted to sit. I'm satisfied with the Eaton springs and they look fine.

As for that clutch, I think I have an idea about it. I didn't do the work on the clutch so I haven't seen inside that bell housing. I was over at VetteParts today and mentioned that I checked everythging on the outside and it was perfect so I thought that might point to the release bearing. Well, he went in the back and brought out a picture that goes in all the clutch kits now that shows that the leaf spring on the clutch fork is way too often installed wrong on the bearing so I need to check that out. It does seem a little better after driving and I noticed the pedal has a little more padding to run into with the installation under the carpet, still it just doesn't feel like it has the release I feel it should have.

[Jephrey S.]

Re: It's Alive!!

Congratulations! It is a great feeling. Just thinking about it makes me feel giddy. I'm glad another LT1 is out prowling the roads.

Spring has finally broken here, so tomorrow mine comes out of winter hibernation for a few shakedown runs before going back to terrorizing the autobahn.

With the 4:11 rear end, you have the option of just forgetting about first gear. That or pretending you have a granny low when you feel like chewing up asphalt and/or buying new tires.

I would, however, keep investigating the clutch release point. It really might be as simple as a thick layer of unsulation under the carpet like you mentioned. Let's hope so, anyway.