Cool McCool's Garage

I was working on the Riviera today, had the wood stove cranked up, it was nice and warm, and I had spent the morning doing the unsung but necessary chores to make it a car, when a buddy rolled up.  He came inside, we talked a little, and he looked at the Vortec engine setting in the car, and asked what engine it was.

When I told him it was a 5.3 Vortec, a Chevrolet truck engine and a 4L60E transmission, he asked if I was “…keeping all the computer shit?”

I told him of course I was, that it’s possible to run a carb but one still needs an ignition system, and besides, I like these engines, they’re powerful, reliable, and much less expensive than tracking down an original 401 or 425 and the one year only Buick Turbo Hydro transmission for these cars.  It makes sense to me, as the car had no engine/trans when I got it.

“Well”, he replied, “You’ll be stuck when the gub’ment throws the switch.  All these cars with all this computer shit are gonna be useless when that happens.”   He went on to explain that (probably according to some goofy, anti-government blog or website), the government is likely any day now to disable every car and truck in North America.  For what purpose he didn’t divulge, and I didn’t press him or argue, as that kind of “logic” is impossible to argue.

After he left, I continued to work on the car, despite the imminent electronic failure at the hands of our current, or some shadowy future government conspiracy (“Well, it may not happen it OUR lifetime, but it’s coming”, he said.)  I pulled the engine and transmission, separated them and replaced the deep truck oil pan with a slightly shallower GM engine swap pan I’d bought earlier.  I then put the transmission back up against the engine and bolted the flex plate to the torque converter, reinstalled the starter (three times, it turned out because I forgot to plug-in some sensor behind the starter, and the little plastic dust shield.

With the engine back in the car, I cut the center of the steering center link out, rotated it 180 degrees (plus or minus a little), tacked it place and checked to make sure it cleared the oil pan.  After making sure it did, I pulled it out, and welded it up solid.  I’ll grind the welds down and gusset the bend, but I’m happy with how it looks, and that it clears the pan.

Now, after all this work I hope the gub’ment doesn’t throw the switch when we’re very far from home..