PV questions my 69

[Gary H.]

Starting to play with the idea of going for a performance verification at the regional in kissimmee.

Any pointers? Any suggestions?

I have the 69 PV manual.

All of my lights, horns, buzzers, headlight and wiper washers etc work.

I have a few areas of concern...

My softtop is a replacement from the 80's and not 100 percent proper. I lost 7 points during regional judging last year (out of a possible 70 points) I have some issues with the top being hard to snap down into place on the rear deck. I also have issues with the top not easily releasing from the rear deck. I can count on one hand how many times I have had the top up over the past year, so replacement with a new correct top is not an option. What should I do?

My hood release handle does not spring back into place on its own. I havent had a chance to look into this yet. Any ideas?

The test checks headlight operation after engine shutdown. I can still close my headlights after waiting a bit, but this will not always work properly if I wait 30 seconds. Any ideas?

Oil pressure gauge works properly and has been rebuilt, but does not go back directly to zero. Is this adjustable?

Thats all for now. I am sure I will have a ton of questions later

Gary

[Mark D.]

Re: PV questions my 69

If that person, that is leaning over the fender in your avatar, is leaning over the fender in FL...you'll pass. I wouldn't worry about how anything, related to the Corvette, functions.

[Tim E.]

Re: PV questions my 69

Gary - I finally passed the PV on my 1966 last October at the Frisco, TX Regional. It took 4 attempts but this was the first car we attempted a PV with and my wife and I do as much of the work ourselves as we can. I can't tell you how gratifying it was to finally pass and receive the award!

The spec you'll be evaluated against is....every operation of the car needs to perform the way it was delivered new. Not only the 168 items on the judging sheet but every secondary operation and supporting system as well. It cannot be looser, slower, or sloppier and it needs to sound, feel, and behave the way it did when new. The challenge for us was to know what represented the new car standard. That is impossible to put into words in the PV guide.

The first time we attempted a PV was to go through the process the first time, experience how grueling the judging standard really was, assume we would quickly fail on something, and hope the Team Leader would complete the test so we could feverishly take notes and absorb all that was being tested. We had prepared the car well (we thought). Sure enough, the car quickly failed but we were fortunate to be able to run completely through the test. In total, I recall we had about 15 failures the first attempt.

There were only a couple "major mechanical" items that needed attention. For example, my positraction clutches made noise on turns, my oil pressure read high because of a high pressure spring in the reproduction pump, and my fast idle was too slow (this is a famous one for all years). The many other failures were the ones due to normal wear and tear over the years that we just didn't realize needed to be renewed to a new car standard. For example, the window tracks had excessive slop, the door opener linkage had too much play, the vent window regulators had too much slop (this is the famous one for C2's), one deck lid spring was weak, one headlight motor was slow, etc. During the 10-mile road trip, I had a slight pull to one side during heavy braking (30mph, hands off the wheel, stand on the brakes) and I had a slight hesitation when I hit the gas (full throttle to within 90% of redline, shift, do it again).

You mention a couple examples of items in your note that you know need attention and you're right. Those items (hood release, headlight cans, etc.) will all need to perform perfectly, like new, and consistantly for the PV.

I would recommend talking with owners that have been through the process to get a feel for what their experience was and what some of their failures were. You will get a feel for standard you need to achieve. Invite some of those owners to your home for a tech session and hold a "mock PV". That will benefit both you and your Chapter. Attend a regional and hang around a PV as it takes place. You can't "OJ" a PV, but you can offer to be near enough to observe.

Some owners have their cars professionally prepared for a PV. Not a bad idea, but not the route I decided to take. I probably would have gotten through the process faster if I would have done that. In my case and the way I approach the hobby, speed was not the important factor.

You'll be offered one 15-minute "fix" opportunity and I had to use mine in order to finally pass! In 1966, you have to push in the ignition switch to be able to rotate it to the accessory position and mine simply rotated. Fortunately, Pete Lindahl was at our regional with his selection of switches, keys, and wipers! He had what I needed and we performed the fastest ignition switch change ever on the judging field!

When it comes to a PV.....if you have any doubt at all about a part or it's operation....it WILL fail the PV! Get it fixed!

Congratulations on considering a PV and congratulations on eventually achieving it!

Tim

[Bob D.]

Re: PV questions my 69

Gary

On two of your questions:

My hood release handle does not spring back into place on its own. I havent had a chance to look into this yet. Any ideas? Try lubrcating the cable and the spring loaded return under the hood. That may help.

The test checks headlight operation after engine shutdown. I can still close my headlights after waiting a bit, but this will not always work properly if I wait 30 seconds. Any ideas? You have a vacuum leak somewhere. Get the Dr Rebuild guide and go through the entire system. You could have a leaking line, a leaking seal on the headlight actuators of a leaking vacuum valve. It is best to test each component of the system and the wiper system for function. Part of the PV is to test the system after engine shutdown.

Good luck.

Bob