This Corvette Restoration Tip is brought to you by Zip Corvette and can be found in Zip’s free Corvette Parts & Accessories Catalogs – Request one online today.
Corvette Fuel Pump Mount
When changing a fuel pump on any Corvette, the first thing you want to do is remove the gas cap. This keeps fuel from being pushed out of the line from pressure built-up in the tank. Place a catch bucket under the fuel pump lines and disconnect the rubber hoses that connect the frame lines to the Corvette’s fuel pump. Once removed, disconnect the steel line that goes from the pump to the carburetor. On the front side of the block, next to the fuel pump, you’ll see two mounting holes. The upper hole is threaded all the way through the block into the cavity for the fuel pump push rod. Before removing the pump, thread a 3/8” bolt in, lightly tightening the bolt against the push rod. This will lock the push rod in place so that it does not drop when removing the fuel pump. Remove the two fuel pump bolts and the fuel pump will lift out. The fuel pump plate and bottom two bolts do not need to be removed. After installing the new gasket and fuel pump, remove the temporary bolt, releasing the push rod to rest against the fuel pump rocker arm. Reinstall fittings and lines, making sure all threads are properly sealed.
So often Corvette owners look to add exhaust systems, air intakes, and other similar bolt-on performance Corvette parts to their Corvette in an effort to add every ounce of horsepower without breaking the bank. All of these bolt-ons are great and will absolutely help any Corvette perform at a higher level, but it is baffling at how many owners overlook the computer side of their Corvette.
1997-2004 LS1 & LS6 Hypertech Power Programmer
Reprogramming the factory chip in any C5 Corvette is simple and will allow the LS1 or LS6 engine to perform better than ever. Precise tuning from Hypertech’s Power Programmer III optimizes the engine speed from off-idle to redline for maximum performance gains. What many C5 owners do not realize is that by programming their Corvette, they are not only getting the added horsepower and torque, but the Corvette’s computer will allow the engine to extract every bit of energy out of every molecule of fuel, giving you more miles at cruising speeds. Hypertech’s Power Programmer III optimizes the spark and fuel curves point by point over the entire rpm band.
Hypertech’s Power Programmer III connects directly into your Corvette’s under-dash ODB-II diagnostic plug. Simply answer a series of yes/no questions and the Programmer takes care of the rest. The finished product is a more efficient LS1 or LS6 Corvette engine with some added horsepower and torque as well.
Other Corvette performance tuning and diagnostic tools from Zip Corvette Parts
This Corvette Restoration Tip is brought to you by Zip Corvette and can be found in Zip’s free Corvette Parts & Accessories Catalogs – request one online today.
About 80 years ago, while evaluating the effects on gasoline of various heavy metals, scientists discovered that the addition of tetra-ethyl-lead reduced knocking in automobile engines. Lead also had the added benefit of providing lubrication inside the combustion chambers, which was particularly helpful for the exhaust valves and their seats. Because of these beneficial properties, a minimum number of adverse side effects and its low cost, lead became a staple in gas for nearly 50 years.
All of that changed in the early 1970s, when oil companies began phasing lead out because it was incompatible with the catalytic converters that automakers were required to install. By the late 1970s leaded fuel was becoming quite rare and a few years after that it essentially vanished. This is not a problem for newer cars, which have been engineered to run on unleaded fuel, but can be troublesome for many of the older cars still on the road. While the increased anti-knock properties that lead imparted to gasoline have been addressed with various other additives, the same is not true for lead’s lubricating benefit. Newer engines have been designed to operate without the combustion chamber lubrication that lead provided but older engines are susceptible to certain damage without this lubrication. In particular, the exhaust valves and their seats are vulnerable to accelerated deterioration when an older engine is run on unleaded fuel.
There are two ways to address this problem. The first is with the addition of lead or lead substitute to the fuel in your tank. This creates an ongoing expense and is a little bit of a nuisance but is probably the best solution for cars that are driven infrequently. The second way to deal with the absence of lead is to modify your engine so that it does not require upper cylinder lubrication. This is done with the installation of stainless steel valves and hardened valve seat inserts.
