The heads aren’t machined incorrectly. Those heads use a Vortec style raised intake port. The port itself is raised .200”, and is evidenced by the dual intake bolt pattern. The correct fix would be to use a gasket to accommodate the .200” raised port.
I am not all that familiar with the Vortec engines (I am used to the earlier SBC) but what little I know is that the intake ports are supposed to be raised as you have mentioned and at first thought there might be a timing issue, but as the engine was backfiring back through the carburetor it seemed as though we had a vacuum leak as Richard verified. I noticed the intake ports were larger and beings that was supposed to be a dual style setup it appeared to me that incorrect intake gaskets were actually the real culprit. You know when you get an engine that you have not done yourself there can be all kinds of hidden issues and the owner not being familiar with this setup just did not get the right gaskets.
Richard you are so amazing at fixing cars. I never would have thought to check the intake for leaks. That just shows that you really know your stuff. I love watching you guys. Keep the videos coming my friend.
Nice job as always Richard, I love the way you broke it down and figure out the intake leak that was genius, you made a corvette owner very happy , also Richard hats off to your wife on the camera great job, ty for your mechanical skills Richard, keep up the good work on what the Rust.
One of your best revivals. Vacuum leaks have been the bane of so many drivability issues, and trying to identify leaks/cracked hoses/failed gaskets is even tougher when you're taking over someone else's headache, it's tougher still. Richard did a great job isolating the real cause of the starting problem, and the owner was thrilled by the results. Great job!
good job tracking down the vac leak but unfortunate that the intended remedy overlooked the possibility of a specialty gasket for that application of the raised ports.
Keep up the great work, Richard you are a bad ass getting old cars running back on the road one of the time. It’s so great. I enjoy every minute of it, buddy.
The heads are drilled for standard gen-1 small block Chevy intakes and for Vortec intakes. I think you said that yourself in the beginning, Richard. You need special intake gaskets to do it right, I would think.
That's right. The gaskets were not the correct application, although I did not realize it at the time. The modification worked out well though, since the ports were completely sealed.
Pull the valve cover you can watch the valves from the driver's seat as you turn the key. Better than the timing mark that goes around twice for every spark. My highschool shop teacher let me learn that the hard way. Pull the valve cover when you set the distributor and you will only do it once.
I continue to enjoy every program you make, it’s nice to see you and unusual car like this in such good condition with such questionable issues and I know I’m going to enjoy watching the process, I’m going to gas that the timing is off
Years ago I bought a junkyard 2 bbl 400 out of a Catalina. I went to put a 4 bbl stock intake off of a 78 trans am. There was a gap mounting to the heads, so I double gasketed it, dropped it in a 79 trans am and drove it for many years.
Excellent Video Christina :) , Richard :) that nice sounding 383 V8 Chevrolet also yes gasket need be thick on intake plus cylinders head to and 350 motor should get rebuild totally so owner be save for future too ! When heard about 383 GM motor people used thought was false information but true lot people have them besides the 383 V8 Mopar is out there ! My older brother 1987 Chevrolet Camaro IROC Z has 383 V8 in with Supercharger too on his and Automatic transmission plus all options to even T Tops ! Happy Veterans Day to everyone and Remberance Day called in CANADA 🇨🇦 thank you for service everyone serve to!
Smart troubleshooting mind! I had an engine with a leak at the bottom side of the intake gaskets. It was a slow oil sucker. It was on a 454 in my 2001 GMC truck.
Good job Richard!!!! I was starting to think the cam timing alignment might have been off until you found the intake leak. Excellent troubleshooting skills!!!! I can see how happy you made the owners!!!!
Nice car and you Richard and Christina yall rock very well done please keep them coming i like the videos alot i learn a great deal watching yall work on these old cars and trucks
I always thought that a 383 was a Dodge engine and the Chevy was a 396, but I’m not an expert like you Richard! Good to see y’all Christina and Richard, it’s Veterans Day today, so happy Veterans Day guys from Louisiana! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🙋🏼✌🏻✌🏻
I believe a 383 is basically a 350 Chevy small block with a 400 Chevy small block crank. Pretty sure someone will correct me if I am wrong. Edit: Richard did explain it the same way in the video, so must be right.
If you've got a decent sized cam, and your running a bit rich at idle and part throttle, then you'll want to swap out the power valve from the 6.5 that comes standard in that carb to a 4.5 or a 4.0.
Hi Christina and Richard ! That was a baffling problem for sure ! Anytime you aquire something that someone else has done modifications on , well , need I say more ? Nice to see that C-3 back on the road ! Word of warning , if you ever get a call to help with a C-4 , tell them they have the wrong number ! 😂 God Bless...Great work !
Right on Keith! Years ago I helped a friend with a C4. It was not fun! There was no room for anything, and so much of the interior was brittle plastic.
Way to go that is a super nice car and engine I am glad that you guys got it going it made for a great video thank you Richard and Christina for sharing
That steel vacuum line that is on the right rear of the engine should go to the vacuum modulator on the trans. If you look at the engine end of that line, it is necked down to actually fit inside of the vacuum port 90 degree fitting on the intake. It takes about a 2-inch section of vacuum line to seal the two once that small necked-down area is inserted into that fitting. At least that's how it was stock.
Looks like someone went overboard on the porting & polishing of the heads. Very nice catch Richard. My first thought was valves not closing all the way due to improper valve lash. But the issue was they added intake and carb, and overlooked inadequate gasket coverage.
That was a great video! I've experienced the same thing before, and your investigative skills came through! Vacuum leaks are always tough to find but as usual you sorted it out! Thanks for doing these fun videos.
aw, nice, an anniversary corvette. :) many years ago I worked on one, also silver with red interior, and very pristine, too. except the heater core which leaked greatly. I had to take apart the whole dashboard, even if it would have been accessible through an opening in the firewall... but quite a lot of cars have that problem. also, painted interior plastic parts is not a new invention. couldn't help but scratch a part of the steering column hull, luckily in a spot that was out of sight later. :P
If you can get it to run with that engine it might actually have enough power to get out of it's own way. Thats the year the "little red express" beat the Vette in the quarter mile.
That Corvette is further proof that you "can't judge a book by its cover." Outwardly it looked excellent, yet it was quite difficult to get running. On the other hand, there have been rusted wrecks abandoned in the woods that started more easily.
Hello Richard & Cristina, I had been feeling rather bad and I noticed your video and I have to say that I was very focused on what was going on. I was thinking while you were dealing with the intake manifold leak that you would really expect a bad leak on one of the old engines that you have been working on m,,But yet here was a nice looking engine that you really wouldn’t think of having any issues like it did. This video was an excellent example of troubleshooting at its best along with a classic example of the process of elimination.
check valve timing. starting from 1 check valves closed go 1/4 turn, follow timing sequence, for valves closed . if not correct cam could be on the wrong marks or 180 out.the pop through the carb is the give away. also, the thing has never been run.
Richard this is a first working on a Corvette. Love the C-3 body style. I’ll have to get you guys when I have a problem. Thank you Richard and Christina. ❤️👊👍💯
That's right Terry, first one on the channel. I was surprised that there was plenty of room to work on it under the hood. Much better than that 74 Maverick, which was unexpected.
What really makes it difficult is when you go in behind someone and try to figure out what they may have done wrong and also not knowing what the fellow before them might have done wrong and also the engine was built by someone else and it is supposed to be a running engine. Now those variables all added up can make the troubleshooting a lot harder. Now when you guys do your "will it run" videos most of the time you are dealing with a stock engine that was most likely in the same way it was when it left the factory and that helps. But when you get into these engines that have been customized it can get a little tricky. That was a good call on the intake leak but I would think that the proper intake gaskets would help solve the problem. What you have there will be fine but there could be a situation where the fix can eventually get sucked into the intake and the leak will reappear. Other than that the engine runs fine, especially after you discovered the idle mixture screws being out of adjustment.
Right on. It reminded me of the 71 Nova video, also a car that had significant engine work and never ran since. Looking back, it might have had the same problem as this Corvette.
Is it possible that the heads were milled and that the intake manifold should have been as well so the ports and bolt holes would align properly? Nice video.
HELLO what the rust wouldn't the car be worth more if they fixed the motor so they would have matching numbers instead of putting ALOT of money into a new engine LOVE your channel.god bless u both
Great diagnosis. Those heads or intake not machined correctly. Did you run a straight edge across those heads? Just curious. Sometimes mods like this engine has can be a nightmare! Love the way you interact with the owners and make them part of the project. Awesome job.
I hear you. We are starting to look into more "modern" vehicles, but when we have done them in the past (85 New Yorker, 93 GEO) the videos did not do well.
@@whattherust if you can find cars like older model mustangs,65 buick riviera and big old school mid 70s cars those are cars i grew up driving cause my dad had a different mixture of cars.But i get it it was a suggestion.
I have good success when it pops back through the carburetor and catches fire, I continue to crank (or continue to turn) the engine and that will actually suck out the fire. Just saying.
Just started watching the vid....do I actually see air gaps at the top of the intake runners between the intake and heads? That's not gonna work. I had a buddy years ago with a 396 in a 66 Chevelle he had bought. It wouldn't idle or run below about 3000 RPM. Someone had put an oval port intake manifold on the square port heads! Ooopsies!
“🔥🔥🔥🔥Richard ,put your glasses on …………ok mom” 🤣🤣🤣
The heads aren’t machined incorrectly. Those heads use a Vortec style raised intake port. The port itself is raised .200”, and is evidenced by the dual intake bolt pattern. The correct fix would be to use a gasket to accommodate the .200” raised port.
I am not all that familiar with the Vortec engines (I am used to the earlier SBC) but what little I know is that the intake ports are supposed to be raised as you have mentioned and at first thought there might be a timing issue, but as the engine was backfiring back through the carburetor it seemed as though we had a vacuum leak as Richard verified. I noticed the intake ports were larger and beings that was supposed to be a dual style setup it appeared to me that incorrect intake gaskets were actually the real culprit. You know when you get an engine that you have not done yourself there can be all kinds of hidden issues and the owner not being familiar with this setup just did not get the right gaskets.
Do you ever get a revival with a blown timing chain?
Wrong int man gaskets for those heads. Obvious.
You hit the nail on the head 👍. I've encountered this a couple of times myself.
I agree I think this is a temporary fix if I say
Richard you are so amazing at fixing cars. I never would have thought to check the intake for leaks. That just shows that you really know your stuff. I love watching you guys. Keep the videos coming my friend.
Nice job as always Richard, I love the way you broke it down and figure out the intake leak that was genius, you made a corvette owner very happy , also Richard hats off to your wife on the camera great job, ty for your mechanical skills Richard, keep up the good work on what the Rust.
Richard you are the man finding that intake leak god bless you and Christina another proud car guy
One of your best revivals. Vacuum leaks have been the bane of so many drivability issues, and trying to identify leaks/cracked hoses/failed gaskets is even tougher when you're taking over someone else's headache, it's tougher still. Richard did a great job isolating the real cause of the starting problem, and the owner was thrilled by the results. Great job!
Thank you Richard and Cristina, I really liked the video
I never miss your show.
good job tracking down the vac leak but unfortunate that the intended remedy overlooked the possibility of a specialty gasket for that application of the raised ports.
Keep up the great work, Richard you are a bad ass getting old cars running back on the road one of the time. It’s so great. I enjoy every minute of it, buddy.
Thanks very much Kenny.
Richard is like an engine doctor, really very thorough every time! He does precision surgery on engines! 😁👌🏻👍🏻👍🏻
excellent diagnostic once again.
Great find & great video!! Thank you 🙂
Cool car & couple & great job as usual Richard!
Wow, super nice car. Cleanest one you've worked on yet. Lol😂😂❤
Never give up folks!! Take the Win.
Another satisfied customer 😊nice work once again team Rust.
The heads are drilled for standard gen-1 small block Chevy intakes and for Vortec intakes. I think you said that yourself in the beginning, Richard. You need special intake gaskets to do it right, I would think.
That's right. The gaskets were not the correct application, although I did not realize it at the time. The modification worked out well though, since the ports were completely sealed.
@@whattherust Nice! Good workaround re-positioning those gaskets.
Fantastic Program Thanks Mates
Great job Rich' & Christ' !!!
You make cars back in life and bring happiness.
What else ? It is a success!
Hope you’re keeping well great videos great to have you around take care please Barry
Hi Richard and Christine. That one was kind of tricky but you got it figured out. Awesome video I really enjoyed it.
Awesome job guys!! 👍👍😎 I've always been a fan of the "shark nose" Corvettes. Congratulations!!! 👏👏👏👏 Thank you for sharing!!
Pull the valve cover you can watch the valves from the driver's seat as you turn the key. Better than the timing mark that goes around twice for every spark. My highschool shop teacher let me learn that the hard way. Pull the valve cover when you set the distributor and you will only do it once.
I continue to enjoy every program you make, it’s nice to see you and unusual car like this in such good condition with such questionable issues and I know I’m going to enjoy watching the process, I’m going to gas that the timing is off
Thank you for the support, Darren.
Years ago I bought a junkyard 2 bbl 400 out of a Catalina. I went to put a 4 bbl stock intake off of a 78 trans am. There was a gap mounting to the heads, so I double gasketed it, dropped it in a 79 trans am and drove it for many years.
Richard and Christina, you two are great people.
Excellent Video Christina :) , Richard :) that nice sounding 383 V8 Chevrolet also yes gasket need be thick on intake plus cylinders head to and 350 motor should get rebuild totally so owner be save for future too ! When heard about 383 GM motor people used thought was false information but true lot people have them besides the 383 V8 Mopar is out there ! My older brother 1987 Chevrolet Camaro IROC Z has 383 V8 in with Supercharger too on his and Automatic transmission plus all options to even T Tops ! Happy Veterans Day to everyone and Remberance Day called in CANADA 🇨🇦 thank you for service everyone serve to!
Smart troubleshooting mind! I had an engine with a leak at the bottom side of the intake gaskets. It was a slow oil sucker. It was on a 454 in my 2001 GMC truck.
Great job Christina and Richard, thanks for sharing! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🙋🏼✌🏻✌🏻💯💯💯
We used to use thick oil around the intake to detect big vac leaks
Good job Richard!!!! I was starting to think the cam timing alignment might have been off until you found the intake leak. Excellent troubleshooting skills!!!! I can see how happy you made the owners!!!!
Thanks Joe. This one did take a while to figure out.
Hello Richard,
Another spectacular clip, and your patience is astounding.
Be well
Thanks Kevin.
Another great video Richard and Christina, you made that couple very happy for sure
My dog loves your TDC whistle, Richard..lol..
Absolutely brilliant, Richard, You never cease to amaze me!
Thanks!
Thank you very much Terry. Your support is fantastic!
Great episode. It is always good to see a car saved.
Thank you for sharing and your APPRECIATION to your subscribers Richard
The viewers make the channel what it is. We are thankful for each one.
@@whattherust nice
The intake gaskets for that head and intake comb are felpro 1206. Nice catch on the vacuum leak.
Thank you for the tip.
Nice car and you Richard and Christina yall rock very well done please keep them coming i like the videos alot i learn a great deal watching yall work on these old cars and trucks
Richard, you ARE the man!
I always thought that a 383 was a Dodge engine and the Chevy was a 396, but I’m not an expert like you Richard! Good to see y’all Christina and Richard, it’s Veterans Day today, so happy Veterans Day guys from Louisiana! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🙋🏼✌🏻✌🏻
I believe a 383 is basically a 350 Chevy small block with a 400 Chevy small block crank. Pretty sure someone will correct me if I am wrong. Edit: Richard did explain it the same way in the video, so must be right.
@ I heard Richard say just that!
@kirk467 Gotcha. Weird that it's the same displacement as the Mopar 383 big block, right?
Congratulations Guys ,job well done , ❤LOVE JIM J&R MOBIL SERVICE AND GODBLESS Y'ALL AND YOUR CRITTERS
I haven’t seen the video yet, but I have no doubt ,that you will get this Corvette running again
The guy you helped out is beside himself, you guys made them both very happy, once again I’m impressed, well done to you both,
They are great people. We were happy to help them out.
Again, great job Richard in figuring out the cause of the engine not running!
I had to chuckle every time Richard hit that horn reaching in to turn the key..lol
If you've got a decent sized cam, and your running a bit rich at idle and part throttle, then you'll want to swap out the power valve from the 6.5 that comes standard in that carb to a 4.5 or a 4.0.
Love the videos!! Keep up the good work!!
Hi Christina and Richard ! That was a baffling problem for sure ! Anytime you aquire something that someone else has done modifications on , well , need I say more ? Nice to see that C-3 back on the road ! Word of warning , if you ever get a call to help with a C-4 , tell them they have the wrong number ! 😂 God Bless...Great work !
Right on Keith! Years ago I helped a friend with a C4. It was not fun! There was no room for anything, and so much of the interior was brittle plastic.
Way to go that is a super nice car and engine I am glad that you guys got it going it made for a great video thank you Richard and Christina for sharing
You'we welcome Dale. Glad you liked it.
Great job 👍🎉. What a fun car to drive 😂.
Great job you have so much knowledge.
That steel vacuum line that is on the right rear of the engine should go to the vacuum modulator on the trans. If you look at the engine end of that line, it is necked down to actually fit inside of the vacuum port 90 degree fitting on the intake. It takes about a 2-inch section of vacuum line to seal the two once that small necked-down area is inserted into that fitting. At least that's how it was stock.
It is, it got bent up a bit when taking the old engine out. I did put it back in the trans though. Thank you
@BulldogHotrod 👍 Not that it really matters if the engine side fits together like the factory had it. It just keeps it a bit more out of the way.
Gm y’all from west Alabama hugsss
Hey cool corvette guy down the street from me had 78 corvette I road in it was cool so good luck with it
Looks like someone went overboard on the porting & polishing of the heads. Very nice catch Richard. My first thought was valves not closing all the way due to improper valve lash. But the issue was they added intake and carb, and overlooked inadequate gasket coverage.
We were thinking the same about possible maladjusted valves. We didn't film it, but we did a compression test and all was well, so we ruled it out.
Wow amazing find guys that's awesome sounds nice
Sneaky problem on this one. Great job! Great car!
Remember that timing mark comes up twice, I believe that motor is 180 out
You got it running great
Excellent vid! Thanks for the tip on RTV. I’m sick of wasting it
I have a tube almost 2 years old, and it still has not solidified.
Well fella I take my hat off to you fantastic video and most of all your skills
Well Done Guys! Makes me want my 1969 Stingray back!
You are the man
Hey Good to see you.
If you look up Fast Burn Chevy heads they look like what's on that engine. So a Vortec style manifold would be a better match to those ports.
Got U-Haul blankets on t-tops. They don't sell the blankets!
Good Job 👍 I'm glad those 🔥🔥 didn't burn you Richard I figured you probably got Cinged a little bit gotta wear eye protection, Sounds so good 👍
I am surprised too, but I got out of it unscathed. It was a good reminder to always wear eye protection.
That was a great video! I've experienced the same thing before, and your investigative skills came through! Vacuum leaks are always tough to find but as usual you sorted it out! Thanks for doing these fun videos.
Thanks Ron. You are welcome.
Very satisfying vid. Well done!
aw, nice, an anniversary corvette. :) many years ago I worked on one, also silver with red interior, and very pristine, too. except the heater core which leaked greatly. I had to take apart the whole dashboard, even if it would have been accessible through an opening in the firewall... but quite a lot of cars have that problem.
also, painted interior plastic parts is not a new invention. couldn't help but scratch a part of the steering column hull, luckily in a spot that was out of sight later. :P
I'm happy I did not have to do any work from the interior. No way I could fit in there!
@@whattherust Some cars are just not made for guys like us. XD imagine a Jag E, or a BMW Z1... couldn't even fit my feet in there. XD
If you can get it to run with that engine it might actually have enough power to get out of it's own way. Thats the year the "little red express" beat the Vette in the quarter mile.
Right on. This car should be very quick with the 383.
@39.49 no need to worry. Richard's forehead is totally protected. I protect mine in the same way whenever I use the drill press.
😂😂😂😂
That Corvette is further proof that you "can't judge a book by its cover." Outwardly it looked excellent, yet it was quite difficult to get running. On the other hand, there have been rusted wrecks abandoned in the woods that started more easily.
Right on.
That tdc whistle is super cool
I never leave home without it. It saves a lot of time.
Hello Richard & Cristina, I had been feeling rather bad and I noticed your video and I have to say that I was very focused on what was going on. I was thinking while you were dealing with the intake manifold leak that you would really expect a bad leak on one of the old engines that you have been working on m,,But yet here was a nice looking engine that you really wouldn’t think of having any issues like it did. This video was an excellent example of troubleshooting at its best along with a classic example of the process of elimination.
Thank you. We hope you get to feeling better soon.
He was so pleased 😀
Fender covers save paint 👌🏼
Success! 👀
looks like a 3310 Holley 750 Vac secondary should be a good choice for the engine
check valve timing. starting from 1 check valves closed go 1/4 turn, follow timing sequence, for valves closed . if not correct cam could be on the wrong marks or 180 out.the pop through the carb is the give away. also, the thing has never been run.
Nice job sir Nice Corvette Nice show 😃👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍
Richard this is a first working on a Corvette. Love the C-3 body style. I’ll have to get you guys when I have a problem. Thank you Richard and Christina. ❤️👊👍💯
That's right Terry, first one on the channel. I was surprised that there was plenty of room to work on it under the hood. Much better than that 74 Maverick, which was unexpected.
Good job
👏 great job
What really makes it difficult is when you go in behind someone and try to figure out what they may have done wrong and also not knowing what the fellow before them might have done wrong and also the engine was built by someone else and it is supposed to be a running engine. Now those variables all added up can make the troubleshooting a lot harder. Now when you guys do your "will it run" videos most of the time you are dealing with a stock engine that was most likely in the same way it was when it left the factory and that helps. But when you get into these engines that have been customized it can get a little tricky. That was a good call on the intake leak but I would think that the proper intake gaskets would help solve the problem. What you have there will be fine but there could be a situation where the fix can eventually get sucked into the intake and the leak will reappear. Other than that the engine runs fine, especially after you discovered the idle mixture screws being out of adjustment.
Right on. It reminded me of the 71 Nova video, also a car that had significant engine work and never ran since. Looking back, it might have had the same problem as this Corvette.
That red 12 gauge wire is your main keyed power to the distributor
Is it possible that the heads were milled and that the intake manifold should have been as well so the ports and bolt holes would align properly? Nice video.
HELLO what the rust wouldn't the car be worth more if they fixed the motor so they would have matching numbers instead of putting ALOT of money into a new engine LOVE your channel.god bless u both
Perhaps, but those Corvettes aren't worth a lot, even now. The 383 is going to make it an incredible driver.
1 of the best channels on youtube u guys are awesome so keep up the good work and see you in your next video.
Thank you very much for the support.
Great diagnosis. Those heads or intake not machined correctly. Did you run a straight edge across those heads? Just curious. Sometimes mods like this engine has can be a nightmare! Love the way you interact with the owners and make them part of the project. Awesome job.
Where you been?
Colorado
Hope everyone is safe
I have been swamped with the firefighter training, but I am finished, and we are both back at it!
The look nod at the end, I know that feeling
LOVE THE VIDEOS WHEN YOU WORK ON UPDATED CARS LIKE THE VETTE.Hint hint lol.
I hear you. We are starting to look into more "modern" vehicles, but when we have done them in the past (85 New Yorker, 93 GEO) the videos did not do well.
@@whattherust if you can find cars like older model mustangs,65 buick riviera and big old school mid 70s cars those are cars i grew up driving cause my dad had a different mixture of cars.But i get it it was a suggestion.
I have good success when it pops back through the carburetor and catches fire, I continue to crank (or continue to turn) the engine and that will actually suck out the fire. Just saying.
The timing lights that I have are so old they that they don't have an inductive pickup. But they do work 100% fine.
I have a couple of those. They fit onto the spark plug on one end and the plug wire on the other. They work great.
@@whattherust Yep. They always work
He put rtv IN the bolt holes. You can hydro lock the bolt before it's actually tight. If he did that before it could be your problem.
Just started watching the vid....do I actually see air gaps at the top of the intake runners between the intake and heads? That's not gonna work. I had a buddy years ago with a 396 in a 66 Chevelle he had bought. It wouldn't idle or run below about 3000 RPM. Someone had put an oval port intake manifold on the square port heads! Ooopsies!
You nailed it.
Watching from Charleston SC area