Hi, I have a 1976 Corvette Stingray and the auto gremlins are all ready at it.My door ajar light is always on and if I don't unplug my battery when I park then it's a good bet I'll have no charge left on it in the morning.

I've got a feeling that the door ajar sensor is drawing the power, but I'm having trouble locating the sensors and the wires that go to it. The odd thing is that when I manually push in the door button thingies (sorry to use the technical term), the interior lights turn off. So the sensor seems to be working, but somewhere in the mix signals are getting crossed.

Also, the air pump went bad and the previous owner removed it. I plan on replacing it, but have little experience with AC. I have tons of salvage yards out here though and I'm wondering if I can just pull the pump off any old car.

Also, what product would you all recommend to clean the fiberglass body with?

-Rick

 

Welcome to the forum Rickcusaf, you've found a good site for help when it comes to the older Vettes, we have some sharp "old school" boys here. First off, I recommend buying an electrical schematic for your year Vette, my '78 does not have any idiot lights on the dash that indicate "door ajar" so my wiring diagram wont help, mine does however have a timer that turns the interior lights off after about 30 second from the time the doors are closed, you might check into that. As far as the "air pump" is concerned, are you talking about the Air Injection Reactor pump or the air conditioning compressor? You should be able to get either at the salvage yard but be aware that GM changed the A/C compressor design in the mid to late seventies and it could be one of two compressors, if the mounting brackets are still intact on your Vette engine it will give you a good clue when you search in the yards.

 

Ya might try www.pacvette.com , it's a Vette wrecking yard. I have gotten a few parts from them. They have an "800" number on the site thatyou can call to talk to them live.

 

I'm not sure which part it is honestly. I'm more of an electrical guy and this is my first classic car. I'll take a picture of my engine bay later and hopefully that will help. Also, what's a good fiberglass cleaner?

 

Hi Rick, a picture may help if it is well lighted, the A/C compressor would be located on the right side of the engine about the same level as the alternator. The A.I.R. pump might be centered high or below the A/C compressor. If the paint on your Vette is original or an old re-paint then it is probably lacquer, this can be hand rubbed with compound or wheeled with a buffer, mine was whethered so bad that moss was growing in the grooves around the glass. I used Soft Scrub with bleach (kitchen and bathroom cleaner) on the whole car, then had my son-in-law wheel it out. It turned out pretty darn good considering it sat outside for ten years before I bought it, I'll re-paint it after I'm done with all of the mechanicals.

 

Hi Rickcusaf, welcome to the forum and the world of Corvettes, I think everybody else gave you the information to get your " Baby to Shine ". For me I use Blue Coral car wash then Turtle Wax bug & tar remover and any of 10 other products to make her shine. That choice is up to you.
You say you can turn off the switch by pressing it, did you try to unscrew it one or to turns so it hits the door and goes off?
No A/C or nor A.I.R.?1 pic = 1000 words. PG.

 

Hmm, found one more interesting issue. The vette has a new torque converter and a b&m shift kit with msd ignition. If i'm at a red light and don't give the car a lot of gas and even sometimes when I do, the car stalls out. I'm not sure what's causing it or how to fix it.

 

Hi Rick, do you have an idea what the stall speed of the torque converter might be? does the motor rev 1500 RPM or more before the car gets moving? Sounds like someone made some mods but didn't really take the time to dial things in to make it run well. I'd start out by checking the ignition system and set it up to original specs, plug gap, timing, and try to set the idle speed close to factory. While your scrounging around in the engine bay check and replace any vacuum hoses that are dry/brittle, there are a lot of vacuum operated devices and a few leaks can add up to a poorly performing mill, hesitation off idle being one symptom. If you get the ignition and vacuum squared away then you can tinker with the carburetor to fine tune the idle and acceleration. Check out the carb and tell us what you've got, Holley, Rochester, Carter, Edelbrock? Ya'll come back now, hear?

 

I'm not sure what it's set at. The previous owner just told me he had it installed. I know the fuel is a little too rich also. Guess I need to play with the carb tommorow.

It's a holley four barrel carb (Either 830 or 930cfm, can't remember)
MSD Ignition
Muncie Trans
B&M Shift kit
Torque converter

Also, I found a minor oil leak. Attached is a picture of the part the leak is coming from. I'm not sure what it is, but it's located on the bottom of the car on the drivers side.


Here is a picture of the car btw.



Also, what are these called and what parts would I need to replace them? The ones on the other side are getting old.



Once again, thanks for all your help all.

Also, I hope this isn't a stupid question, but what's the correct antenna size for the 76? There are four kits at the local checkers, but they are from 3 3/4mm on down.

 

Hi Rick, on my next post I'll give you a list of Vette parts mail order supply houses, I don't have time right now, gotta' go do the "job" thing.