1981 Chevy Van - maintenance questions

[Won]

A couple friends and I bought a 81 Chevy Van Triple E conversion with 350 CID for $800CA as our transportation for the next 8 months we'll be spending in central Canada. I put in a new air filter and lubed the throttle linkages, and it runs much smoother now.

I have a few questions regarding the next things on the "tune-up" list. It's got the original motor with a carburetor, what kind of carb is it and what can I do in terms of cleaning up 25+ years of use and refreshening it as much as I can with the motor in the van? I'll try water up a vacuum hose and various fuel additives (recommendations appreciated). Speaking of the motor, how do I get to the spark plugs? I could see the rear 6 with the inside hatch open but the 2 on the very front don't appear accessable at all.

It's getting about 14 MPG now, is there any room for improvement? We don't drive around much but anything helps, right?

Oh there were two large butterflies on the carb body, then there was one wide rectangular butterfly that was fully open with a warm engine. I'm gonna have to read up on carburetors, but what function does it have? Should it stay open or not?

This whole thing is very new to me, including the water and radiator stuff. It sure is nice to have so much more room around the engine though

PS. by the way it's missing front shocks... At least I couldn't find any shock absorbers, only springs and a sway bar!!! I'm guessing it's not normal.

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

The wide butterly is the choke. It will be closed when cold. depending on the year, it will be either mechanically or electrically operated.

It should be a two-barrel Rochester. Very easy to tune and rebuild. 14-17MPG is what you can expect with a carbed 350.

I think there should be a cover inside the cab that will allow you to reach most of the motor for repair. I would reccommend replacing the fuel filter, plugs, cap and rotor, and wires if it needs it. Also check the timing, and adjust the valves (if it has mechanical lifters)

[David]

It should have hydraulic lifters, so you shouldn't need to mess with the valves.

The good thing is you can buy most parts at any autoparts store. Including a rebuilt carb if you have problems.

Does it have to pass emissions? If not, you could bypass the CAT for better mileage and power.

[cashflyer]

Wood panelling...
shag carpet...
velour seats...
Definately 1981!


Like a picture she was laying there
And moonlight dancing off her hair
She woke up and took me by the hand
We made love in my Chevy van
And that's alright with me...

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

Was just thinking, you need a black light, a velvet Foghat poster and a three foot bong in there.

as the late Dr. said, anything worth doing is worth doing right..

[sand_man]

Originally posted by cashflyer
Wood panelling...
shag carpet...
velour seats...
Definately 1981!


Like a picture she was laying there
And moonlight dancing off her hair
She woke up and took me by the hand
We made love in my Chevy van
And that's alright with me...

Damn...you beat me to it!

[rouxroux]

Replace those chrome bumpers with wooden ones with polyurethane and hang some love beads right behind the front captain's chairs and you're set! (maybe some "dingle balls" around the windshield & front windows)...
We still drive our Dodge 3/4 ton regularly, so I'm poking fun at myself as well. One of the most trouble-free vehicles I've ever owned.

[Won]

Thanks guys, it puts a smile on my face every time I drive it; just like the 911 but for totally different reasons

I've found front shocks, they were there, just covered in dirt and completely indistinguishable from the rest of the suspension.

Still can't get to some of the spark plugs, the space is tighter than #3 cylinder on 911! Distributor cap and rotor are in the list. I'm thoroughly loving the lack of "Porsche tax" on the parts, they're so cheap!

Coupld more questions: where is the fuel filter located? How about the horn? The horn relay clicks but there is no sound, and I was unable to find the actual horn under the hood. It has an age unknown timing belt, and we already have a couple long trips planned (1000 mile round trip this weekend, 3000 mile trip back home for Canadian thanksgiving). Should I change those or can I fix then when they fail? Will they be cheap, kinda cheap, OK, little expensive, or super expensive to replace?

Should I even bother checking or renewing differential fluid? How difficult is it to fit a limited slip differential (will be driving in a snow country)?

Thanks again!

[rouxroux]

Not 100% sure, but many GM products around that time (even back to the mid-70's) used an IN-TANK filter. And are you sure it does not have a chain inistead of a timing belt?

Best of luck with your project.

[David]

Horn may be in front of the radiator.

It has a timing chain, probably good for 150K although by that point it's pretty stretched out. Not too difficult to change, maybe if you have a water pump problem (it has a little weep hole to know when the seal is going out) you could change the chain and sprockets then. Shouldn't be too expensive.

Couldn't hurt to change the diff fluid, especially if you're going to tow something. Parts are cheap so a limited slip should be pretty cheap. Changing it shouldn't be too hard, but it can be a pain to get the gears to mesh correctly, especially if you don't nail it on the first or second try.

[Tim Walsh]

Small block chevy's don't have a timing belt, just a small chain running to an in-block cam.

[Won]

Ever since experiencing a snapped timing belt on the P car, I've been sorta paranoid and maybe seeing things that are not there...

I think I'll just drive this one until it breaks. From the state it's been running in up until we bought the car (below "add more" mark for coolant, tranny, and oil), I would think it can take a lot of abuse.

Thank you guys!

[bell]

Originally posted by Jared Fenton

as the late Dr. said, anything worth doing is worth doing right..

you're not portugese

and carry spare universal joints for the drive shaft.....
years and years ago i had a 79 dodge which snapped one in the middle of nowhere.....late sunday....stranded, it also broke the tail piece off of the tranny.
having seen an old ass dodge sedan (50's) in the woods a few miles from where we were atv'ing (from a previous trip). we headed in the woods with a locals guys tractor......flipped the car on it's roof and low and behold, it looked similar to our broken tranny tailpiece.
although it leaked tranny fluid like a ***** it got us home.....i'm still amazed at that days sequence of events and the luck we had in our pocket

[Won]

Ok, today the morning low dropped to 50F, and the van stalled twice on the way to work. Both happened within the first few minutes of driving. There were some more noticeable hesitation for the next 5 minutes or so, it felt like rich surge but the car didn't die.

I pumped the gas twice before starting cold, it didn't catch on, cranked some more without giving gas and it started up. I'm not familiar with carburetors but I've heard about "flooding the carb", could I have done that which caused the hesitation and stalling?

We had a road trip planned for the weekend, and decided to stay home if the car stalled again on the way home from work. It *almost* did, but never actually died, so we pushed on. Through 560 miles of Prairies wind gusts, misty rain, sub-zero weather and slush, we made it to Calgary in about 10 hours. It stalled once after idling for a few minutes when we tried to pull away from an emergency roadside stop for a quick leak. It started right back up, and never even hesitated until we reached our destinations.

So, any guesses? Does the carb need changing of jets or a mixture adjustment depending on the ambient temperature?

Oh and I located two horns just inboard of the headlights between the grill and the radiator. All that was needed was a little wiggle on the wires, and now they work wonderfully.

[David]

The carb shouldn't need adjustment unless it spends most of it's time at high altitude. It may be time for a carb rebuild or the easier approach, install a rebuilt one from the local autoparts.

[bell]

if it's stalling while cold under load (driving) then it sounds like the choke either isn't working or it's sticking.....i see carberated hoopties at work all the time and this is a common occurance.
do you know if it's a manual choke? if so there should be a cable off of the carb which goes to a pull type switch in the van.
if it's not manual there should be a sylinoid on the carb which controls the choke butterfly.
maybe find an old local wrench who knows carbs......

[David]

Since it's an '81 it should be an automatic choke.

[rfuerst911sc]

You might be able to access the spark plugs from the wheelwell. If I remember correctly there is a rubber flap you lift and then you can see the plugs.