The GT is back on the road after several months of additions and updates.
Over the winter, I made a new throttle linkage setup that pulls from the front of the engine. The cable originally pulled from the left side of the engine…simpler, but the exhaust heat wanted to melt the jacket on the throttle cable and caused sticking just off idle. The new system also adds more progression. Once the throttle is open ½ way, not so much pedal is needed to go the rest of the way to WOT. The old system required too much pedal movement to achieve WOT.
The exhaust system was coated by Swain Tech. It is a platinum colored coating about .040" think. It feels like sandpaper and is supposed to reduce radiated heat considerably.
I ran the car a few weeks in the spring until we had problems with the fuel pumps and alternator.
The high pressure Aeromotive pumps for the EFI system would momentarily starve for fuel under braking or steep downhills when below ½ tank. After 4K miles, the cumulative effect of these few seconds of starvation wore the pumps enough that they wouldn’t pump enough volume/ pressure. They were replaced with Walbro solenoid/piston low pressure pumps that pump into a small 1 gallon tank. An Aeromotive high pressure pump takes it’s suction from this tank and returns to this tank. An overflow from the tank goes through the existing Pollak valve back to the fuel tank the fuel is being pulled from.
The new system has worked flawlessly the last few weeks. We've put about 800 miles on it in that time (200 miles today!)
The cooling system was drained of 50/50 antifreeze/water mix and replaced with 20/80 antifreeze mix and water wetter. There is a noticeable difference in cooling efficiency on 80-90 degree F. days.
See posting in the electrical section on alternator and stereo installation.
A costly $few months, but anything less than 100% reliability is not satisfactory.
Fuel mileage on the Cleveland is running at 17+ mpg when you keep your foot out of the throttle and run the speed limit.
Over the winter, I made a new throttle linkage setup that pulls from the front of the engine. The cable originally pulled from the left side of the engine…simpler, but the exhaust heat wanted to melt the jacket on the throttle cable and caused sticking just off idle. The new system also adds more progression. Once the throttle is open ½ way, not so much pedal is needed to go the rest of the way to WOT. The old system required too much pedal movement to achieve WOT.
The exhaust system was coated by Swain Tech. It is a platinum colored coating about .040" think. It feels like sandpaper and is supposed to reduce radiated heat considerably.
I ran the car a few weeks in the spring until we had problems with the fuel pumps and alternator.
The high pressure Aeromotive pumps for the EFI system would momentarily starve for fuel under braking or steep downhills when below ½ tank. After 4K miles, the cumulative effect of these few seconds of starvation wore the pumps enough that they wouldn’t pump enough volume/ pressure. They were replaced with Walbro solenoid/piston low pressure pumps that pump into a small 1 gallon tank. An Aeromotive high pressure pump takes it’s suction from this tank and returns to this tank. An overflow from the tank goes through the existing Pollak valve back to the fuel tank the fuel is being pulled from.
The new system has worked flawlessly the last few weeks. We've put about 800 miles on it in that time (200 miles today!)
The cooling system was drained of 50/50 antifreeze/water mix and replaced with 20/80 antifreeze mix and water wetter. There is a noticeable difference in cooling efficiency on 80-90 degree F. days.
See posting in the electrical section on alternator and stereo installation.
A costly $few months, but anything less than 100% reliability is not satisfactory.
Fuel mileage on the Cleveland is running at 17+ mpg when you keep your foot out of the throttle and run the speed limit.
