1968 Camaro Resto-mod 6.0/6 speed; Project Penny Pincher

[ryeguy2006a]

It's been a little while since I made an update, so I thought I'd share. Fortunately, this update has nothing to do with further progress on the build of the car, but rather from driving it! Crazy right?? Now that the car is 100% road legal and 100% functional, I've been driving it any chance I get. Here's the first time that I drove it to work. It's funny, I was so dead set on getting this car 100% complete before I drove it, but now that I can just hop in and drive I haven't wanted to do much else to it. No side windows, no door panels, no dash pad, but honestly hasn't bothered me.

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I've been sidetracked over the past few weeks with some landscaping projects. Since I live on a side hill, both involved leveling out area's. One is for my son's new swingset and the other is for our brick fire-pit. Both look pretty awful right now, but once the grass seed grows, it should be just what I wanted.

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I did sneak out one night last week and started to mock up for the low mount Sanden compressor upper mount. I built the lower mount a while ago, but the upper mount was a little more tricky. Here's what I came up with. I'm going to try and make it out of one piece, but if I can't I'll likely do it with three.

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I also built a pair of piston stops one for me and the other for my Dad. We swapped a small cap HEI on his 496 BBC to allow for the Terminator EFI to control the timing, but there seems to run worse the closer that we get to syncing up the commanded spark vs. the actual spark he's showing on the balancer. I'm wondering if the TDC mark on his balancer is off now for some reason. I build this to confirm.

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This is the photo from a few weekends ago at the car show. My wife snapped this of my son and I. Definitely one of my new favorite pictures.

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I have been at a loss for time recently to work on the car and thought that it would be worth the money to just pay someone to dyno tune my car and be done with it. Well after I called around, I just can't justify a $450 invoice to have that done. Heck, that's halfway to the new Terminator X system from Holley. But the silver lining is that it gave me the motivation to use my tuning software and play around with my own VE and MAF tables to dial in my tune. Thankfully, my car isn't that far away from a stock Z06 Corvette so that's what my base is. I've been playing around with the VE tables and so far it has helped out pretty significantly with my light throttle surging issue. I'm hoping to dial it in further over the next week or so and call it good.

That's about all for now. Hopefully my next update will include a tuning update.

[mnr60]

Ryan,
what happened with the Dirty Dingo mount for the A/C?
Is the mount your fabbing clear the Hooker engine mounts?

[ryeguy2006a]

I had to modify the Dirty Dingo mounts to clear the sway bar, frame and work better with the Holley mounts. The DD mounts position the Sanden compressor, which has a 6 rib pulley, on the outer 4 ribs but in order to gain more space I moved the mounts forward as well to run on the inner 4 ribs. It worked perfectly, so now once the upper mount is finished, I'll be able to mount it low and tight and not interfere with anything. I'll mount it on the motor, so that when I'm ready for my Vintage Air install, I just have to pull the cap and make some lines.

[Motown 454]

I'm happy for you Ryan, getting the car up and running. I don't blame you for wanting to enjoy it for a while. It looks great in those last shot of it.

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks Wayne. I'm loving that I'm able to put some miles on it.

Took the car out last night and had a little fun. I'll just leave this here.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/06/48018679443_424967dcf3_b-1.jpg

[CSG]

That shopping cart in that pic above makes me nervous!!

[ryeguy2006a]

Got to work on my car this weekend after finishing up the light remodel on the upstairs bathroom, new countertop, painted twice (First color wasn't what WE wanted), and lots of new decorations.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/06/48078891441_8dfebe6899_b-1.jpg

And finishing up the re-grading on the lawn to have a flatter fire pit and flat spot for my son's swingset

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/06/48078923078_5d780d4eb8_b-1.jpg

Those were the last two "nesting" projects that I had to finish up before my wife is satisfied that our new son can come into the world successfully. Anyone that has had children knows what I'm talking about with the nesting projects.

Anyway, I was planning on taking the car to a local cruise in on Saturday but unfortunately due to the weather I wasn't able to take my car. I worked on Friday night to get the car interior more functional and complete. My goal was to get the side windows installed so that it wasn't so loud and windy on the highway. I started by installing some of the Fat Mat in the doors to help control sound.

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Then I polished up the weather seal retainer/gutter trim piece. It was in good shape, but had a lot of grime and overspray from the years. Turned out great and the Metro weather seals went in beautifully.

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The quarter trim seals finally came in and I installed the new chrome quarter trim too. I also had to recently purchase a new outer window felts, but found a garage sale item on Speedway motors for a set of the Repops seals, and they fit pretty good, but the angle was off for the quarter. After I bent it slowly, it came pretty close and I was happy with the fitment.

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Then I drug out one of the original doors that came with the car to swap over all of the window mechanisms and door latch rods. The door is totally roached, but surprisingly the mechanisms were in great shape with light surface rust. Just needed a little clean-up and I installed them with the original window, which was also in surprisingly great shape.

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It was getting late, but I got the window installed and adjusted pretty close. Definitely needs lots of tweaking to be perfect, but overall close enough for me at 2am. I didn't notice it before I put it in, but there is some kind of film or overspray on it that will need to be polished off, but there are no major issues with the window so I'm happy to re-use the original born with parts.

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Now that I have the one side done, I'm hoping that the driver's side will go much quicker as I know how to install everything. That door glass is a PITA. I had to find a YouTube video to figure out how to get it out of the original door. I've also got everything to properly re-dye the dash, rear and door panels from blue to black. My wife bought me a headliner and sail panel set for Father's Day, so I'll get that installed soon as well. Any input on what glue to use from those who have done it?

Thanks,
Ryan

[mnr60]

Looking good Ryan,
will need report on how well the Fat Mat quieted down the noise.
what made you decide on Fat Mat instead of other brands?

[ryeguy2006a]

Time for the driver's side to get some door glass. Same as the other side, I installed some FatMat to help with heat and noise. I also put some behind where the quarter glass goes. I didn't do that on the passenger side, but I need to pull that window anyway to make some adjustments and I'll do it then.

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Next up was to install the door latch and rod assembly.

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Original Quarter window installed with new chrome and weather seals. I also put on the new door locks.

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Next up was the door glass which is kinda tricky until you know how to do it. The best way that I found to do it was to install the crank mechanism first, then install the window glass. You have to shift the glass towards the front of the door, then slide it down and rearward for it to slide into place. After that's done you can install the front and rear tracks and start making adjustments from there.

I was pretty impress with overall how good of condition the tracks were. I scuffed off some light surface rust in spots and dusted it with some flat black spray paint and they look great. Lubed them up and finished installing.

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I was super impressed the door guide felts were still in really good condition. I'm going to get new ones just because, but they probably could still be used.

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All installed and roughly aligned. I still need to tweak the glass fitment once the seals are installed, but good for now. It's crazy how much more weight the door has with the glass installed. That clunk the door makes when it closes though is very satisfying.

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A few weeks ago I made a little more progress on my A/C compressor mount, but forgot to post the pictures. I ended up having to make it in three pieces due to the thickness of the material and the difficulty to get the bend right. It fits beautiful, but I'm going to try and install it to see how the belt alignment is before I final weld it. It's rugged enough now for a test fit to confirm the belt fits right. I left enough room in between the mounts so that I could shim it if necessary for better belt alignment.

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Before I can attempt to install the A/C compressor and bracket, I need to make some sway bar spacers from a piece of 1/2" aluminum stock to allow the bar to clear the compressor.

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Thanks,
Ryan

[ryeguy2006a]

So, I think this is a little funny. I was reviewing my data logs now that I've got the car running good and noticed that a few spots where I know I had nailed the throttle to the floor and my TPS is only showing 62% max. Upon further investigation my home made throttle cable is too long, which doesn't allow it to get me more than the 62% throttle. So, I've ordered a new cable to fix that. I'll be interested to see how much more power I get considering I've only been cruising around with a little over half throttle!

[ryeguy2006a]

After I found out that my throttle cable was too long, I decided to order a new one. I looked at the Lokar cables, but after searching around for some universal cables I found one on ebay that was meant for a 80's motorcycle that had an adjustable end to fit the cable bracket on the intake and the right ball end to fit the LS1 throttlebody. Best news was it was $9.00 and shipped to me in 2 days.

This is the cable I made when I was first getting the car up and running. It was a cable that came off of a motor I bought a while ago and I merged it with the end of my stock I6 cable that came on my car. It worked, but clearly not good enough.

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Pulled the old cable off and installed the new OEM cable bracket that I never had on my intake.

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Old vs. New

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Much better looking.

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After a little adjustment it now has full throttle movement.

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After I confirmed the throttle cable is working as it should, I took it out for a spin. Not surprising but it has way more top end. I was very happy with my newfound power too. Before it would spin in 2nd, but now it blows the tires off in second and will keep doing so until I let off the throttle. Much more fun!

I grabbed some pictures on my ride home as it was getting dark.

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The car is running great and really the only complaint that I have at this point is a faulty knock sensor. I ordered one last week and it should be here at today or tomorrow. It's a PITA to swap them out, but it will get rid of that annoying code.

Once the interior is back together, the only other thing I want to do is put as many miles on it as I can this year!

[mnr60]

Looking good!
Is the cable better than TBW?
I have the complete TBW out of the truck my engine came from, should work for me?
Thanks

[ryeguy2006a]

I think this is a personal preference. Some people love the DBW and some insist on DBC. I'll say that I'm happy with the cable throttle body on my car, but I do have a complete DBC setup that I may try on my car at some point.

[JayinMI]

My wife bought me a headliner and sail panel set for Father's Day, so I'll get that installed soon as well. Any input on what glue to use from those who have done it?

Thanks,
Ryan

I haven't done a headliner in a car, but any vinyl work I've done on cars (and there's been a few) I use Weldwood Landau Top Adhesive.
It comes in a can, and you spray it with a spray gun. I usually just buy a Harbor Freight cheapie and throw it away after it doesn't work anymore,
which is usually several projects as long as I don't leave it open. They go on sale for about $15 sometimes. I get the one with the container on the bottom,
not the HVLP ones.

If you buy it online, when you open the can, it should be the consistency of whole milk. I learned this the hard way when I kept trying to use an old can at work that was more the consistency of maple syrup.

Jay

[JayinMI]

I went with DBW because that's a) how my donor vehicle was and b) I do automotive wiring (car stereo/security/etc) for a living, and I am more comfortable with wiring.
No messing with cable lengths that I might get wrong. I've driven cars with DBC and DBW and don't notice a drastic difference either way. If anything, DBC might have a slight edge in throttle response.

Jay

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks for the replies Jay. I'm going to use a product from Weldon that was recommended by the guys over at Camaros.net for headliner installs. It has a brush built into the the cap, which I like so there isn't any overspray.

Small parts update. I've got 550 miles on the car now and I decided to buy some parts to correct some small items/issues that have been bugging me. First is a new belt for the AC compressor, which ended up being too short. I need a belt to test fit everything and confirm proper alignment. New upper ball joint as my passenger side is bad. New AC Delco knock sensor to get rid of the P0327 code, LS6 PCV plug for the valve cover, Weldon 1829 for the headliner, Door guide parts and a new 39/64 drill bit.

A few things are happening with the rear diff. First is the 500 mile rear diff break-in period means that I need to replace the rear diff fluid. But since I'm going to have the diff cover off, I wanted to pull the rear axles to drill for 1/2" studs so that I can use a smaller wheel spacer. The 1" spacer that is on there now is too much and it causes the rear tire to rub ever so slightly on the inner wheel house/outer quarter panel. I would just run a 1/2" or 3/8" spacer, but the current studs that are installed are too short. So if I'm going to replace the studs anyway, I might as well go with the 1/2" studs that have been on my shelf since 2012.

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Got rid of an eye sore in my engine bay. Before:

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New LS6 PCV delete plug

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Yesterday my Dad, cousin and myself met up for the parade in our hometown. We got some perfect parking spots and had an opportunity to get some great photos. My dad's 1971 Chevelle, 1969 Superbee, and my 1968 Camaro. I snapped a few, but my cousin brought a real camera and got some fantastic photos. Hope to have those soon. Here's a few.

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I love this picture. "NO IDLING"

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Happy 4th of July!

[TheBandit]

The car is looking great! Glad you have made it to the driving and enjoying phase!

Good luck on the headliner install. I admire the folks that do those and do them well. I went with a 1pc headliner from TMI on mine and it was really straightforward to install, but I also love/prefer the look of a classic sewn/bow headliner.

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks Clint, I'm so glad to be enjoying the car now.

Now that I've been driving the car around, I've finally hit the 500 mile mark which meant that I needed to swap out the rear differential fluid per the break-in instructions. So I brought the car over to my dad's house to test out his new lift.

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I wished I could say that it was smooth sailing, but while I had the axles removed, I figured it would be a great time to update to 1/2" rear wheel studs. I did this for two reasons, one is they are stronger and will match the front and two is that I needed to run a smaller wheel spacer since the rear tire was kissing the outer wheel house lip. I bought a brand new 39/64" drill bit and thought I would be good, but neglected to remember that the rear axles are hardened... This took the edge off of the bit after about 4 studs. After I made a few phone calls for someone that may have a good one to car buddies, one guy had a sharpening tool for large drill bits. That ended up being the ticket and I was able to finish. But what I thought was going to be a 3-4 hour job, ended up being almost 8 hours... Here it is all buttoned up with new studs.

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Then after a bunch of trial and error I finally found a set of wheel spacers that will not rub. I shopped around and the best deal that I could find was a set meant for a BMW, in 20mm thickness which is just a hair over 3/4". They came in 2 days and anodized. Not bad for $19 shipped in my opinion.

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Right after this maintenance/upgrade my wife and I welcomed our second child and boy number 2. Everyone is happy and healthy. We are just now settling into our new normal routines. Even though I haven't been working on the car, I've had my eyes out for deals. I recently came across a great deal here on PT for a complete set of Speedtech upper and lower control arms. I've been itching ever since to get them installed. Last weekend I finally got the go ahead from the boss to pull the trigger on the install.

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First thing I had to do was pull off the passenger side exhaust header so that I could remove and replace the passenger side.

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Upper swap was pretty straight forward.

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The lowers on the other hand were much more difficult. When I bought the car the odometer said it had 112k and I'm pretty sure that the lower control arms were never replaced. The bolts were really stuck in there.

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At the same time I swapped in the 1 1/8" sway bar I picked up from a buddy earlier this year. Crazy how much larger it is than stock.

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And everything is finished with the install and torqued to spec.

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They look great from the engine bay.

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Can't really see it from here, but they do look cool peaking from the bottom.

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While I was working on the install over the few days, I snapped this picture while I was leaving to pick up my son.

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That bring me up to now. After roughly putting a front end alignment I took it for a quick test drive. All I can say is wow what a difference. The steering is very responsive now and I'm stoked to drive it with a real alignment! Going to schedule that soon. With the engine running at 100% and the steering top notch, it really is a super fun car to drive. I'm excited to take it down a windy road and see how it performs.

Cheers,
Ryan

[TheBandit]

Exciting changes! You'll be able to achieve a much more favorable alignment now (more caster) with those new arms and that bigger swaybar will reduce body roll and suspension geometry changes. You may want to pick up a rear bar too now so you can balance things out. My car pushed really bad when I had a big front bar and stiffer springs with no bar and stock springs out back.

I noticed your front brake hoses are tightly looped around while mine are not. I wonder if your hoses are longer than they should be. The OE tabs on my original disc car are in a different spot higher on the frame; is it possible the hoses you are using are meant for my OE disc tab location instead of your OE drum tab location? Here is a photo of mine for reference (http://cjnn.xtremefabricator.com/images/LY6swap/ly6swap1711.jpg).

More importantly, congratulations on #2!! I remember feeling like I hit the reset button when we had our second, back to sleepless nights and dragging all the baby stuff around everywhere. But over time two has been great for my family.

[mnr60]

Congratulations on baby #2!!!

[DT69Cam]

I'm in the same boat. I'm driving mine as well. Still have some things to do also. The paint looks great BTW.

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks man! I'm pretty stoked, I signed up for my first auto x event for next Sunday. Anyone have an old helmet kicking around they want to let go for a good price? I'm a L or XL :)

[Motown 454]

I just saw the news congratulations on the new car guy! You made some nice upgrades to the car, good luck at the auto x.

[ryeguy2006a]

I went to my first Auto X event this past weekend and it was an absolute blast. I was up the night before making a few tweaks to the car that I had been meaning to do. First was (embarrassingly enough) getting some exhaust hangers on the mufflers. When I first got the car together and the exhaust all welded up, I used some mechanics wire through some muffler hangers. Out of sight, out of mind but I wanted to address this since I knew I was going to be throwing it into some hard corners. Sorry no pictures.

Then I moved on to address a faulty knock sensor. I have gotten a P0327 Low performance code since I first got the car going and wanted to address it since I had the motivation. Installed the new AC Delco knock sensor, and this was the engine at about midnight before the event. Unfortunately on the way to the event, the code came right back on. So that leads me to believe it's a wiring issue.

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I had to grab something to eat and stopped by the Dunkin Donuts, and I'm sure it was a coincidence, but there were a few boys in blue. Thought it made for a funny picture.

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My buddy that came with me took several pictures of my car. It had minimal body roll and really hugged the corners.

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This is going to be my first of many events. I really had a great time and was so nice to use the car for the purpose of how it was built. The LS1 pulled hard and I actually never left first gear since it was such a short course. It's really a lot harder than it sounds to stay on course and not get lost in the cones... We were fortunate to have 5 runs in the AM and 5 runs in the PM. I got lost on the first two runs, the third I was able to complete and had a time of 34.9, then the last two were 33 and 32, but I kept going around the wrong cone so they didn't count.

Then in the PM after I had an opportunity to watch the others run, I got a better feel for the course and completed all of my runs. This time I was getting more aggressive and got a few penalties for cones. My best was a 27.1 with no penalties, but my fastest time was a 26.8 +2 for one cone.

It was really cool in the AM too, my Mom was watching my older son and brought him along to watch for a few runs. He really enjoyed watching all the "race cars". And even though I did poorly in the AM, it was really cool having my son wave at me and cheer me on!

Then on the way home at an undisclosed non-closed course, I tried to best my time of 5.4. I knew that I had more in it. Much happier with this! Other than the damn check engine light for the knock sensor...

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/10/48822264496_a6e26f9067_b-1.jpg

Cheers,
Ryan

[ryeguy2006a]

The car has now been put up for the winter. I got a few more cruises in before the weather turned, and unfortunately we had a streak of cold weather come through and they salted the roads... Haven't done a thing to the car, but I did pick up a 6.0 that came from a H2 and a set of 821 LS3 cylinder heads in exchange for building an LS swap for a buddy. Now I'm not sure if I want to sell the LS1 and use that money to buy a good good cam and rebuild this motor, OR just sell this and use the proceeds to buy a cam kit for my LS1?

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/11/49084130708_51e4206916_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/11/49084853522_28a92b4e9f_b-1.jpg

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[ryeguy2006a]

I haven't had much to update in a while, but I've made a few changes lately so thought I'd share. As I ususally do, I was cruising the classifieds and I found a guy selling an LS turbo log manifold and he ended up swapping me for a LC2 wideband that I wasn't going to use. I haven't had a chance to test fit, but I'm hoping that it will make for a nice compact turbo setup.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/01/49316509186_e96da45687_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/01/49316509141_6491578541_b-1.jpg

I'll definitely need to cut it down some to make it play friendly with my hood, but I'll test fit as is first. Maybe I'll get lucky.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/01/49316722332_e240bba785_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/01/49316722332_e240bba785_b-1.jpg

I've been thinking about making the switch to a Holley based EFI system for a while now for the added flexibility. Then I found that manifold, someone bought the engine harness from my Camaro, and there were discounts from one the sponsors on Black Friday. So I pulled the trigger and bought the new Terminator X kit for LS1's.

First I had to rip out my stock standalone harness and ECU.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/01/49316722002_8fe5dd941a_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/01/49316508511_d9f2fa7246_b-1.jpg

Then my Terminator X showed up!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/01/49316508281_a87a7e08ba_b-1.jpg

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https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/01/49316507851_85211c86c8_b-1.jpg

One thing that was very interesting is that the ECU is so much smaller than a factory 0411 ECU.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/01/49316011538_acf628fdeb_b-1.jpg

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When I started reading the instructions I realized that since this ECU doesn't use an MAF, I needed to get a new IAT (or MAT as referred to on the Holley instructions). Since the 85MM MAF I'm using has an integrated IAT I couldn't use that. I found that a few people were using a threaded IAT from a 90's Typhoon, and it would thread right into one of the unused ports on the LS6 intakes.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/01/49316011263_443f38a124_b-1.jpg

All for now. I've got some stock harnesses and ECU's that I'm converting for a few people so until those are complete, I'm holding off on installing the new ECU. I can't wait until I can install it though.

Thanks,
Ryan

[andrewb70]

Hey Ryan,

Looking forward to your progress. It's a shame you didn't get the Terminator X Max. I am a huge fan of DBW and even with a manual transmission the Terminator X Max has easy inputs for vehicle speed, which I like having for added tuning ability.

Andrew

[Motown 454]

Nice upgrade Ryan, it should make small adjustments easier.

[ryeguy2006a]

I haven't gotten much work done on my car, but I've been keeping busy. Thankfully, our son is starting to sleep all throughout the nights. Now that I'm caught back up on my sleep, I can go out into the garage for a few hours after everyone goes to bed a few times a week. I've taken on a few side jobs modifying harnesses for some friends, so I've been busy working on those. I've finished one and am in the middle of the other one.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/01/49460290187_33d9011b7e_b-1.jpg

My wife got me a few car parts for my birthday earlier this month. A long time ago I bought some Holley EFI fuel rails at a swap meet, but didn't want to run the AN fittings that they came with. My car is running 3/8 Nylon lines with the factory GM quick connect fittings. So I needed to find a -8 ORB to 3/8 GM quick connect 90* swivel. Only one that I could find was made by Russell #644-063, and it was just what I needed. She also got me the USB to Can harness for the Terminator X system so I can hook my laptop up to make changes.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/01/49460290447_090d577fe1_b-1.jpg

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Once I get the last harness finished up, I plan to jump back on my Camaro. I need to finish the interior; Dye the door panels/ Dash pad, install headliner and sail panels, and button up a bunch of things I didn't get to last year. One of the things I've been keeping an eye out for was any radio that I can use to just fill the hole in my dash. A local member hooked me up, Thanks Mitch!!

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https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/01/49459580538_704afbe8d3_b-1.jpg

Eventually I'll get something else for a radio, but this one will make the dash at least look complete.

Thanks,
Ryan

[jetfixrguy]

I just spent the last 6 hours reading your entire thread. All I can say is wow. What a lot of time and work that you've done. Impressive.

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks! Yes, it has certainly gone through quite a transformation.

[Robs]

Hey Ryan

What a nice build thread, do you know that Dakota has a CAN reader for the Holley: BIM-01-2-HLLY . If your Dakota cluster support CAN Bus, you can now read all the infos through the CAN Bus.

[ryeguy2006a]

I had seen that a while ago and I'll have to look into that again. I'm planning to add a turbo in the next year or so and it would be nice to display boost and fuel pressure on my existing dash.

[ryeguy2006a]

I haven't done any work on the car until last weekend. I pulled the cover off to see what needed to be done in order to get it back up and running again. It took me a while to decide where I wanted to drill the rather large hole in the firewall for the ECU. Since I had my 0411 ECU mounted behind the passenger headlight, I didn't have a big hole. After a lot of thought, I found that the most discrete and accessible location was right above the throttle pedal mount.

2" hole saw per Holley's instructions.

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Once the hole was drilled, I started to lay out the harness to see how it fit. Overall pretty happy, but I will likely re-loom it at some point for a little cleaner install. I'm waiting until I get the system fully up and running before I do anything like that though.

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Right now I'm in the middle of figuring out what wiring I need to install in addition to what the Terminator X comes with. I'm going to add an input for VSS right now, and an output for my cooling fan and reverse lockout. I'll likely have to change that when I add my turbo next fall, but time will tell. I need to add a wire for the alternator exciter, reverse lights and various loose wires outlined in the Holley instructions. I also need to route the wideband wires. I'm going to run it to the passenger side since I'll eventually have my downpipe there. I'm also in the process of thinking through how I want to mount the ECU, wiring and fuse/relay block in the glove box. Right now I'm thinking about either building a new glove box liner out of aluminum and then mounting it all there, or possibly using my stock one but mixing up some resin to harden it. I'm leaning more towards the aluminum and if possible I'd like to make it out of one piece.

Before I got the Holley install started, I test fit the console that came with my car just to see what it looks like. Not sure how I feel.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/03/49670674072_fd681ceb0d_b-1.jpg

I also bought this SD card adapter so I can help my dad tune his Holley EFI this summer.

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All for now. Hope to have it running by the weekend.

[Motown 454]

That Holley is a nice system, it does plenty of important stuff that Factory doesn't.

[andrewb70]

Looking good!

[ryeguy2006a]

I made a little more progress last night on mounting my ECU. A few nights ago I played around with a few ideas and came up with a design that mounted the ECU in the glove box. When it was late a night after I finished it, I was happy enough and thought that it would be fine since nobody would really see it.

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Well after thinking about it, I wasn't happy with it. There wasn't much room for mounting a relay, fuse panel or other things. So after searching around a while, I came across a post here at PT, and someone built exactly what I was looking to do. It was great to see what was done, and it gave me the inspiration to build my own.

Out with the old.

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Then I started on Version 2.0. I went out to my metal pile and found this old block off plate that I made for my 1976 Trans Am, and will re-purpose into my glove box plate.

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The piece wasn't quite long enough to make the panel in one piece, so I decided to make it in two and just rivet together.

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Test fit both pieces to mark where I had to bend and rivet.

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Now it's one piece and a test fit with the ECU bolted down.

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After I mounted the ECU, I realized that the rod for the glove box door went right through where the ECU plugs go. I got super lucky because it passes right between the main power and the two plugs and clears everything by at least a 1/2". :)

I was playing around with different options so that I can have a radio this year in the car, and am contemplating running this Double Din radio I removed from my old truck before I sold it.

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It kinda fits there, but not sure if there was enough room for the plugs to fit in the rear.

Then I stuck in my Freebie AM radio so that the dash looks complete. Thanks Mitch!! That looks so much better!

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Lastly, I picked up some plugs for my t56. Since the new ECU doesn't incorporate the 6 speed by default, I need to add these wires so I can have reverse lights, vehicle speed (VSS) and reverse lockout functional. I'll have to use one input to add VSS and output to activate the reverse lockout. Both will require programming to work properly. I'll be sure to add some screenshots of how I do this down the road.

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I've got a few parts on the way to hopefully finish up this install one of them is a large enough firewall grommet. A 2" firewall grommet was surprisingly difficult to find. I was hoping to find some sort of cheap bulk pack so I had them for future projects, but I didn't feel like searching any longer, so I just bought the one pack I found on eBay.

I also need to find a good place for the 3.5" screen that came with the Terminator X. Anyone have any creative suggestions?

[ryeguy2006a]

Yesterday was finally warm enough to get outside and paint some parts. I bought the SEM Vinyl paint a while ago, but am finally ready to attempt dying the panels black. I started out by cleaning the parts off with window glass cleaner two times with a plastic scrub brush. First time to get the bulk of the junk, second time for good measure. Next I used a painting cleanup product called Preps-All, that's meant for cleaning up grease and wax before painting a car. The last step was recommended to me by an old body shop guy in lieu of the SEM adhesion promoter. I took some lacquer thinner and wiped it evenly across all of the parts and let it dry. The lacquer softened up the material and made it a little tacky. Then I sprayed one light coat, one light to medium coat and then one heavy coat waiting 5-10 minutes in between. Here are the results, I'm very happy and so far the coating seems very durable. I scratched a section with my finger nail and it didn't peal or flake off.

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I started with those two panels since they weren't in the best shape, and couldn't really make them much worse. I was so happy with the results, I decided to paint my blue dash pad as well! The dash had more of a build up of dirt/grease/grime so I got out my copper wire brush and that did the trick.

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The finish is a dead ringer for the original color!

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I'm hoping to get the dash wiring cleaned up over the next few weeks so that I can get the gauges reinstalled. Then I can finalize the Terminator X install and clean up any wiring related to that. I'd love to get that done in the next few weeks and possibly get it out for a test drive since the weather is unusually warm for this time of year.

Thanks,
Ryan

[Motown 454]

The dash came out nice, no one will ever know.

[slimjim]

damn, that worked great

[FormTA]

Wow, that came out great. At least you are get something accomplished. I have done anything. I need this motivation.
Keep it up man!

[ryeguy2006a]

On Sunday in between the kiddos napping and grilling out, I was able to get the headliner bows painted and the headliner flange pieces prepped for the install. I scuffed the bows with 80 grit, sprayed with self etching primer and rattle canned them. Didn't take too much time considering they won't be seen. Just didn't want them all rusty. I got lucky when I bought the car as the headliner was still installed, so when I disassembled, I labeled them for an easy re-install.

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I had laid the headliner in the sun a few days before and it got most of the wrinkles out, but not all. I laid it out on the floor of the garage to mark the center line. Fold it in half length ways, then mark the center. I'm honestly glad I did, because I considered not doing it. I figured that I would be able to eyeball the center line, but with it all hanging down when you are in the car, it made it very difficult. Tip to those who may attempt in the future.

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Couldn't forget my dome light!

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After I cleaned up the headliner flanges, I was amazed at how clean they were! They are untouched originals from 1968. One little surface rust spot on the passenger side.

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These are the correct screws in case anyone is wondering.

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Flanges installed as well as some screws in the holes for the sun visors. Another tip I found when looking up how to install a headliner.

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Everything that I read on installing headliners, said to start with the center bow first. This bow is almost more like a metal coat hanger rod, but curved at the ends. Once all the bows were installed, I started in the center. The center bow has some teeth that point towards the rear of the car, so I punched them through the loops for the center and pulled tightly towards the front of the car. I proceeded to pop the front two bows in place.

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I borrowed this bucket of binder clips from work and started to clip everything roughly in place.

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Then moved onto installing the rear headliner flange. This one was not in as good of shape as the front's but overall not bad. I scuffed and shot with some paint to help prevent the rust from coming back.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49724148461_bb8a074b9a_b-1.jpg

Everything tightened up quite nicely for the first go around.

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I wanted to get the headliner in place so that it could stretch out in place for a few days. I plan to go back sometime this week and re-adjust it all before it's glued in place.

[ryeguy2006a]

Next on the list was getting a power distribution box. I ordered one from eBay and was pretty pleased with the quality for the price. It gives me a central place to run power and grounds so that I can clean up some of my wiring. The problem was that I also needed to have both constant 12v and switched 12v sources. So I decided to take it apart and see what I could do.

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https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49724454217_978e8d7a98_b-1.jpg

Once I split it apart, I determined where I wanted to split the panel into two circuits.

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https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49723603813_5643de0036_b-1.jpg

I crimped and soldered on a eye terminal, added some heat shrink and bolted it down to the new switched 12v side. I added a little notch for the 12 gauge wire to pass through. I didn't add a picture before I buttoned it up, but I added a piece of plastic as an added barrier between the ground circuit and 12v wire.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49724167391_cab0bfc1bc_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49724451572_28e5d06f3f_b-1.jpg

I'll add in a 30 amp relay to switch the ignition side on, but here is the completed conversion. Now the top 6 fuses are constant 12v and the lower 6 fuses are switched 12v ignition sources.

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https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49724132836_150dbce436_b-1.jpg

I test fit it on the glove box panel that I made and it will be a perfect fit. Next step is pulling that panel out one more time to fit this fuse panel for installation and then paint. Once that is finalized, I should be pretty close to firing off the engine with the new ECU.

Cheers,
Ryan

[F-Body International]

Those little indicator lights are a neat feature. Nice!

[Just 1 More]

Awesome work and detail

[ryeguy2006a]

I've been plugging away working towards a complete interior and other misc. things here and there. I finished up the install of the fuse and relay blocks as well as the mounting of the ECU. I love the placement of everything, but it was difficult to find a mounting location that was easy to get to, but also retaining the glove box. So I opted to use the glove box for my wiring needs.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49769389282_18b8071653_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49769062911_f38c4888e0_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49769372512_2a6deaab6c_b-1.jpg

It's Alive!! Once all the wiring is final, I'll tidy everything up with some loom.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49768526968_c26f1d2445_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49769060801_a69b2a2a51_b-1.jpg

I've been constantly impressed with the condition of the original parts on this car. Here are the original windlace trim parts from the car. I was assuming that I'd need to replace these with new, but thought I might try cleaning them up. I'm glad I did, they are in great shape and are still quite flexible! I'll let you guess which was was the before.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49769388637_1273f259a3_b-1.jpg

Since the Terminator X has a universal LS wiring harness, I needed to add in the t56 "sub" harness for the Reverse lights, Reverse lockout and Vehicle Speed. I picked up one of the pigtail kits for the three connectors from eBay and VSS and RLO were perfect, but the reverse light switch had female terminals installed rather than the correct male. It took me about an hour to figure that out. So I've ordered a new set of correct terminals and a Metri-pack terminal removal tool. Should be here by the end of the week to finish that up. I should mention that only the VSS and Reverse Lockout will be hooked up to the ECU. The Reverse lights do not communicate with the ECU at all, but rather are wired into the body harness.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49769056096_bc09926d4f_b-1.jpg

Picture's blurry, but that's the best I could do to show that the reverse switch has the female terminals on it, so the plug would need male terminals to install correctly.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49769258181_dee4e02b9c_b-1.jpg

[ryeguy2006a]

Moving back to the headliner install, I was able to get back in and stretch it all nice and tight. One thing that was bugging me was in the center of the headliner where the bows attach to the center of the roof was a noticeable spot that was being pulled up. When I installed the bows, I put all of them in the lowest of three holes. Looking back I should have started with the middle hole, then I would either had to adjust up or down one hole rather than having to potentially test all three positions. Here is what they looked like when the bows were too low.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49769379137_25d2edb711_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49769054331_871a757772_b-1.jpg

I hated to do it, but I pulled the headliner back down and put all of the bows into the middle positions and that was the ticket. That tension was gone in the center of each of the bows and it was even all the way across the top. Glad to be done with that. Next it was time to glue down the headliner and do one final stretch. I wasn't happy that I was unable to get the wrinkles out of the the material between 3rd and 4th bow. No it was pulled nicely to the rear of the car, but when I tried to pull it from the side, it made a bunch of other places start wrinkling so this was the best I could do. I'm hoping that I can use a heat gun or iron carefully to reduce or eliminate some of it. Overall pretty pleased with the final product.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49769041606_58a4eb6ae7_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49768507193_192e22f16d_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49768507193_192e22f16d_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49768926356_1c5066fff8_b-1.jpg

I didn't take a picture, but I took 1/4" staples to the tack strip then trimmed off the excess and installed the sail panels. I was also able to re-install the original trim wind lace panels on the front and rear which makes for a very original looking install. In the middle of that install, I was also working on polishing up the trim and reinstalling it on the rear interior panels. They turned out better than I expected. It worked so well that I'll be doing the same thing to the door panels, A pillar trim and other misc. parts I have.

Before:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49680537657_22b1374564_b-1.jpg

After:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49768395938_2582d9fc86_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49769261002_b1c7c54f8b_b-1.jpg

Here's the passenger side.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49768937146_04548ee39f_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49768397333_10d3f64f52_b-1.jpg

Once I test fit the windlace with the rear interior panels, I found that I needed to move them both down slightly to eliminate the gaps. Now that the headliner and sail panels are installed, glued down and the windlace in the correct placement it was time to re-install the weatherstripping gutters. But before I could do that, I needed to polish them and clean up all of the grime and overspray over the years.

Before:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49769255737_2921d7a1f3_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49768392623_759796988d_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49769250542_58172e3899_b-1.jpg

That's all for now. Hoping to finish up a few wires, and button up the remaining interior pieces that need to be re-installed. It's going to be very different this year driving the car with a completed interior.

Thanks,
Ryan

[Motown 454]

A lot of progress. Nice job on the head liner.

[ryeguy2006a]

I bought the RS chin spoiler kit for my car almost a year ago, but I was driving it so much last year that I didn't take the time to get it installed. I've been doing so much interior stuff lately, I wanted to take a break and do something different. I figured, while it was up on the wheel stands it would be a good opportunity to install it. It only took about an hour, but it made a huge difference in the front. I'm really glad I finally installed it.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49776190028_ba6207f026_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49777056307_09ff0b4921_b-1.jpg

While I was under the front, I decided to see if I could make the turning signal fit a little nicer. I never test fit the signals before I painted and installed it on the car, and come to find out the bracket wasn't welded in the right location. Not perfect, but definitely much less noticeable. Maybe when I do a cam swap, I'll pull off the front end and address it then. Also, it doesn't mean anything, but the turning signal housings are from a real Tripoli Turquoise 1968 Camaro Z/28 RS car. I picked them up at a swap meet several years ago. I love using original pieces when I can.

Here's the marker light held in the correct position and how misaligned the bolt hole are.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49777051212_739fdf2d92_b-1.jpg

Before:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49776189193_24bfe73460_b-1.jpg

After:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49777048277_35e51bbf36_b-1.jpg

Then I moved onto installing the door weather seals. They didn't take long at all, but what did was aligning the door and quarter glass. All I can say to anyone doing it themselves is take your time and make small adjustments. Not sure if this is the correct way, but I started with the rear quarter glass. I made sure that it fit really well into the weather seal, and then moved onto the door glass. That got me really close, but I ended up needing to bounce back and forth tweaking them so that all the seals fit together properly. It's not perfect, but is as good if not better than how it would have been from the factory.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49777048137_4d574629ae_b-1.jpg

It's hard to tell, but here is one picture I got when I was fitting the rear quarter glass. Without the seals on it seemed to fit great, but after, it was clear that it was contacting the "gutter". With the window rolled up, the glass was directly contacting the polished lip. There are set screws that needed to be pulled inward and then re-tightened. Afterwards, it fit very nicely in the weather seal pocket.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49776732076_574bdd3a63_b-1.jpg

Hard to see, but the line on the weatherseal where its light black to dark black is the edge of the glass.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49777061067_a2fdfe412a_b-1.jpg

Cheers,
Ryan

[JayinMI]

Looks great! Nice job on the headliner. Most of the DIY ones have a lot of wrinkles, and if I were doing that I'd probably pay someone. lol I don't have that much patience.

Jay

[eville]

Looking great! The devil is in the details.

[Motown 454]

Great video on how to install and adjust windows. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6YRUjgR2MM

[ryeguy2006a]

In keeping with the Penny Pincher theme, here's a DIY project that I completed to save a few bucks. The hardware for the rear speakers needed to be installed before the package tray could be installed, but I didn't want to buy new speakers right now since it's really not a top priority. So rather than get new speakers, I decided to use some old speakers I had, but the problem is they are round 6.5" and the package tray accepts 6x9 speakers. So my solution was to make an adapter that mounts to the existing hardware, but is set up for a 6.5" round speaker. I broke out some old speaker covers I had and made a trusty cardboard template.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49800814858_48a30f682e_b-1.jpg

Then transferred it to some 3/4" board I had laying around.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49801672137_2ce85c593b_b-1.jpg

Once I got them cut out, I realized that the hard edge would likely make for some weird sound from the speakers. I used a router to soften the edge and smooth out the transition. And I also realized that when I used my compass, I measured out 2.25" rather than 2.75", so my circle was an inch short. So I had to go back and cut the wholes out larger then bevel the edges.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49801670372_c761daed6a_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49801358511_a6c3001779_b-1.jpg

Here you can see the speaker installed and how you can't add hardware once the package tray cover is installed. The metal covering the speakers isn't ideal, but I have a tough time cutting up the package tray considering it's lasted 51 years already... I can live with a little distortion as it gives a little of that retro feeling.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49801357751_8ebbd62efc_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49800804273_a03a986fca_b-1.jpg

I then moved onto the original mono single speaker from the front dash. The speaker was falling apart, but I thought this would make for a great platform to mount a pair of 3.5" speakers. I created a template and cut out the parts to make the speakers fit. I still need to finish the edges, but this will work nicely.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49801354941_a28039a925_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49801665802_9582d39bf1_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49800803973_6692c3c479_b-1.jpg

I pulled this stereo out of my old Silverado before I sold it, and thought I would see how it fits down low. It surprisingly fits really well and I'm going to make a bracket to mount it right here. I'm not sure if this will be a permanent thing, but for now it's doesn't cost me anything but time.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49800806168_24148619ec_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49801354326_02c185fbb7_b-1.jpg

My interior is really coming together. I have a few more finishing touches to do and then I can button it up for good. I still need to mock up the rear seats again and I can measure for some car seat anchors. Last year I used the stock seat belts and it worked "Ok", but I'm going to do something stronger. I'm going to make some plates that anchor into the seat belt mounts that will allow me to hook into the car seat latches.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49801351796_6af31522c3_b-1.jpg

Cheers,
Ryan

[ryeguy2006a]

I've been plugging away this last week doing some work here and there. I finished fitting up my speakers to the old mono speaker, got the holes drilled and then painted the whole thing. I think it turned out great and only cost me the time to modify it. Turns out the front speakers I have are crackling, so I'll have to get some replacements. They won't get better right?? The rears are perfect, so I may just leave these out for now and worry about it later or I may just pick up a cheap set of 3.5" speakers on eBay.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49814272331_b867f1e540_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49825744362_078654bb75_b-1.jpg

As I've been working away at getting my interior buttoned up, I turned my attention to the sun visors. My originals were in really good shape, with the exception of the trim that goes along the outside. So I put on my upholstery hat, needle, thread and went to work. I didn't spend too much time on it, but was able to get the trim lined up right and was able to put the needle through most of the original stitching holes.

What I started with.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49813710728_646fecda9c_b-1.jpg

After a little elbow grease.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49814247231_8e72492cef_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49813735778_b3ca1a30af_b-1.jpg

Installed. It helped out tremendously installing the screws in the sunvisor holes before I installed the headliner. took just a minute to find them and cut the holes.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49813734538_0b321fa88e_b-1.jpg

Some parts came in and I was able to swap over the female to male terminals for the metripack connector. I struggled when I first went to install the reverse light plug on my car and come to find out they installed the wrong terminals in the connector. I bought a pack of new ones and the metripack removal tool. That little tool was invaluable and worked like a charm. Definitely worth the wait.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49825419976_a8b563f084_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49825421171_ff12f6a41d_b-1.jpg

It's been so rainy here in NY, that I haven't been able to dye the last parts for my interior. I saw the forecast and Saturday looked to be dry and 60, so that was my chance to get the doors panels dyed. I first had to strip the door panels down just like I did the rear panels. Those glued lower trim panels from the door panel didn't want to come off. I pried and pried, then started to tear the actual vinyl on the panel which lead to some cussing. Then I came up with a better idea and grabbed about 12" of welding wire and made a couple 90* bends with enough room in the middle for the trim. I used that along with a heat gun and it cut through with steady pressure and worked like a charm.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49825753192_978a5c830a_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49825430306_4d442e20f4_b-1.jpg

This is the first one where I started pulling from the left side. Once the tool got through the part that I tore, it worked so smoothly. You can see where I stopped prying up by hand and then using the tool.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49824902868_0dfa3aceb2_b-1.jpg

The other side worked perfectly and too so much less time.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49825438296_15e5f32f52_b-1.jpg

I then stripped both panels down bare and proceeded to clean them up for paint. My process was two rounds of cleaning with window cleaner and a soft bristled brush, followed by PrepsAll paint prep cleaner and then a liberal coating of lacquer thinner. An old body guy told that the lacquer thinner softens the vinyl and works as good or better than the adhesion promoter. I have to say I'm impressed with the SEM products as it stands up very well to general use. I've tried scratching it with my nail and lightly with a screwdriver on the back side and it didn't flake or chip one bit. Nice a flexible just like I would expect. Time will tell how long it stands up though.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49825437946_fef1040f16_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49825747792_5dff18d0c2_b-1.jpg

The finish looks a little blotchy, but it was still a little wet in this picture.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49825425441_4067c4e1d2_b-1.jpg

After I hand polished all of the trim it was time reinstall the window felts, middle trim and to glue back on the lower trim pieces. I used the same contact cement from my headliner install and it worked great. I left the original trim glue in place on both the trim and door panel. When the contact cement was applied, it re-activated the glue and worked beautifully to reinstall back on the panels. I used a few hammers to apply light pressure to the trim as it dried overnight.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49825424086_62754040e6_b-1.jpg

I couldn't help myself and the next morning put the clips back on the panel and installed it. This is the first time I've had the door panels this complete and the right color in the car. I'm actually surprised at how well the panels turned out as they exceeded my expectations. I cleaned/polished/installed the arm rest I picked up at a swap meet last year as well as installed some brand new stainless interior trim screws. It's really starting to come together now.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/04/49826376272_cba25c6732_b-1.jpg

Hoping to button up the interior very shortly.

Cheers,
Ryan

[slimjim]

great work, I'm shocked at how nice those doors came out, what a great improvement

[Motown 454]

Wow nice job Ryan, if you told me they were new I'd definitely believe you. My friend swears by SEM products for his body shop.

[Dewil]

great project! Really satisfying working with the interior being something you see everytime your in the car. Looking forward getting there myself!=)

[Deserttaco]

On the Visors, Did you just re-stich the original trim? or did you have/get/cut new trim? and is the covering on the visors original just cleaned up? or did you recover them with left over headliner fabric? Either way they look great!

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks for all of the compliments guys! I'm very happy with the results of the sun visors and all the panels I've dyed. Prep is key for the dyeing to take properly.

The sun visors are 100% original 1968. I used those binder clips to get the trim back in place and started where the original threads were still intact. I worked my way into the sections that had disintegrated and managed to find most of the original holes. Only thing I would have done differently is used a thicker thread. I used more of a fabric thread, but I'm very pleased with the results. And all I used for the cleanup on the original fabric was genetic blue window cleaner and a stiff bristled plastic brush. The window cleaner gives a nice gloss once it's dry.

[TheBandit]

Great job!

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks Clint!

I've been busy over the last week, slowly cleaning and reinstalling parts. One item I've been meaning to address was that my rear tires kept rubbing no matter what I did for a spacer. So as I was taking measurements from the hub to the inner/outer wheel houses I was getting the same measurements. I hadn't noticed until recently though that the quarter panel/outer wheel lip was about 1/4" wider on the driver's side. That means that it's been my driver's side that was rubbing this whole time, but also meant that I needed to trim off this excess... Out comes the jig saw. I used a jig saw rather than a cut off wheel because of heat. In my thought process, it was the better of two evils. It worked well, but I did stuff a little paint off. Nothing that a touch up brush can't fix though.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/05/49866764312_9c9e2e105b_b-1.jpg

I ordered what I hope to be one of the last $100 batch of parts for the car. Rear package tray corner trim, new dome light bezel, door jamb vents, door panel emblems and new door lock knobs. I also have the plastic piece that goes under the pedals that needs to be cleaned up and re-installed.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/05/49865910768_7a3d7fa8a7_b-1.jpg

I was so excited to finish up the restoration of the door panels with the new emblems. Not bad for some old original parts and a little elbow grease.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/05/49865909433_ec2ed3ed74_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/05/49866447021_e34a52f9fc_b-1.jpg

Finally, I was able to button up all of the wiring and give the car a good thorough cleaning.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/05/49866764127_82d8984e9f_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/05/49866763912_1c5b350b7e_b-1.jpg

Now that it's all buttoned up, it was finally time to get her out for a test drive with the new Terminator X ECU. Earlier in the week, I went through the setup wizards that the system provides giving basic info like cubic inches, cam profile (stock, mild or aggressive), and a few other questions. Once it built the tune for me, I downloaded it to my laptop and made a few changes that cannot be done with the handheld 3.5" touch screen. Sunday came around and I figured it was time to see if all the hard work paid off. Turned the key and it came to life! It was very rich, but it was a fresh tune and doesn't start the learning process until 160*, so I assumed it was part of the process. It idled and ran ok, (~10-11 AFR) so I figured it was time to take it around the block. It was sorta bucking and popping which again, not warm enough to learn, but made it to the end of the main road, pushed the clutch in and it stalled on me. Cranked, and cranked, but wouldn't start. Hmmm... gave it a little throttle and it fired right up so I got on it a little and we were up and running. As I'm rowing through the gears, it really came to life at about half throttle and just ripped up to about 5k! Now that's what I remembered! I was going to take a big loop, so I went a little farther down the road to turn on a side road, pressed in the clutch and it stalled. By now it's up to temp but wasn't learning the way I was hoping and it repeated the same story, didn't want to idle and would stall, but ran great past half throttle. Brought it back home and parked it.

I reached out to a friend (Thanks Andrew!!) of mine who has a lot of experience with the Holley EFI and I sent him my tune. He came back to me within a few minutes and asked what MAP sensor I was using. I told him the stock LS1 MAP, and he came back to tell me that the ECU was looking for the internal MAP sensor, not the one on my engine. Because of that the ECU thought I was at WOT the entire time!! I know I changed that setting, but obviously didn't save correctly. Monday night was rainy, but then Tuesday afternoon my wife and I decided to go for a drive to get away from all the craziness. I loaded up the revised tune and immediately(literally the moment it started) the idle was clean, crisp and leaned way out from where it was. (~14.5-15 AFR) I was 110% happier with this experience. I'm taking almost the same route, and get to the end of the road before the main two lane and no idle issues at all. Settled in right where it was commanded to. Took off on the highway and it had all the get up and go I remembered. I slowed down 45-50 in the reduced speed area and it started popping just slightly, but it hadn't hit *160 yet so it wasn't in closed loop learn mode yet. Then go through the drive and once it hit the *160, I could tell it was learning as the AFR started to lean out and the exhaust notes were cleaned up. By the time I got a mile or two up the road it was running as good if not better than with the stock ECU. We continued on with zero issues and the car was running beautifully. I couldn't be happier with the new ECU and that was just with about 20 minutes of run time. I want to tweak the VE tables to really dial in the idle and also integrate my VSS so that I can add in more tuning options with speed in the mix.

Best of all, the wheels no longer rub in the rear!

I'll try and get some screenshots from the laptop next time I'm in the program to maybe help others with similar issues.

Cheers,
Ryan

[TheBandit]

The interior looks stellar! I love the clean original look. You might consider taking some all purpose cleaner to the seats; I bet they would brighten up to new.

[armourmark]

Nice work with the jigsaw!!

[ryeguy2006a]

Thought I'd post up some pictures of the car out in the wild. I took the car on a cruise to Watkins Glen, which is a really neat town that's about 45 mins from me. Most probably know it from the international racetrack, but it's also a really neat town. My wife and I took the day off from all of the craziness that's been happening the last few months and just went for a cruise. We stopped and got some icecream so I grabbed a photo and I also stopped at a Harley store that was on the way to snap some better pictures of the car.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/05/49942386178_54c3c7c95f_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/05/49943195847_93bab47445_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/05/49942894491_681cf2edbf_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/05/49942894121_5da3974026_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/05/49942894526_5faf3a7dc1_b-1.jpg

I need to find a much better place to take a picture and washing it would help too haha.

Cheers,
Ryan

[TANKMASTERJ]

Great job Ryan. It's pics of Saturday cruises of a guy who has actually finished and driving the car that keep us all plugging towards the finish line.

[ryeguy2006a]

Keep it up man, your project is looking great!

Haven't been doing anything to my car, but driving it which feels really nice. I've been playing with the Holley software and reading up all of the tables that are in the more advanced features. I've been taking it on a drive about once a week with my wife at lunchtime which has been really nice. The car is a blast to drive and I've been trying to improve on things ever so slightly to make it that much better.

Eventually this will be a cruiser for my family and I want to be sure that my two boys are safe and comfortable. I've been searching online high and low for a set of retro-fit LATCH hooks and a few months ago I finally found a set that will work for me. They are from Ford to retro-fit some model year Mustangs and Crown Vic's, part number F3LY-63613D74-A. As I always do, I price matched online and found that TASCA Ford has them at a unit price of $0.01! I couldn't even come close to making them myself for that price!

I thought that it must be an error, but I added 6 to my cart (3 for each seat) and hit the check out button. It ended up coming to around $11 with shipping and arrived about a week later. They are going to work perfectly, but I need to get the rear seat installed so that I can make sure that the seats are centered squarely in the rear seat. I'm hoping to install those soon, but here's a picture of what you get.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/49916696841_f8f0e9b7ef_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/49916697086_d809db4b23_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/49916183473_61af9a3274_b-1.jpg

I've always really liked the way the LS motors look with remotely mounted coils. I found a great deal on a set of brackets, coil extensions and wires. Since there is a limited driving season in NY, I'm going to leave this for a winter project.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50013101457_2baf54f777_b-1.jpg

Speaking of projects... I've also started collecting parts for another project, but I'm just going to tease with a few pictures.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50013097122_cf1fc7cf84_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50013095587_ecb8d11b62_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50013098062_8f8a2e1f9c_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50012308443_b79bfbabe5_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50013089992_46e8bd8ab8_b-1.jpg

One last thing is a maintenance item... I've sprung a leak. I'm not sure yet, but my fuel tank has started to leak. I'm assuming it's leaking from the adapter ring that I installed. Unfortunately I just filled up the tank, so I'm trying to drive it a little more before I drop and drain it to see what failed. While it's out, I've also ordered a new fuel sender so that I'll be able to have a more accurate fuel level reading. I've been using the 5th gen pump's sending unit which is something like 250-40 OHM full empty, but Dakota Digital has a preset for 240-33 OHM. So I bought a new Bosch universal sending unit so it will a little easier. The DD gauges are programmable, but I find it more difficult to fill the tank 1/3 at a time and hope it's right, than just installing a new sending unit and go with their presets.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50012300023_fa0582e4d1_b-1.jpg

I'll update the thread when I have more progress.

Cheers,
Ryan

[andrewb70]

Nice update! Be very careful when doing the remote coils. It is super easy to loose track of which coil goes to which cylinder, etc ..

[ryeguy2006a]

Good advice, thanks Andrew.

I'm finally getting around to installing the LATCH hooks for my car seats. I've been mulling over how to install these for a while, and after much consideration I've decided to utilize the same bolts as my stock seat belts. This required me to slightly enlarge the hole on the LATCHES. I considered that it would give less material for the hook to bolt to, but at the smallest part of the bolt hole it's as thick as the part that mounts the car seat's LATCH hook. I felt OK with this and moved forward with the install.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50033699488_cfa0697a67_b-1.jpg

Then bolted them down to the stock position.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50033691968_d06500aa54_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50033697133_03ed43a986_b-1.jpg

Now, once I got the rear seat back in place, it did interfere with the main support structure, so I had to tap the outer one's down slightly to be parallel with the floor section in that spot.

Then I centered the rear latches in the rear support structures using the large flat washer and hardware in the kit. That part was super easy. Drill the hole, install in the proper order, torque and done.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50034228016_9b2e7d6875_b-1.jpg

Next I was thrilled to finally install the panels that I refinished. They turned out incredibly well using SEM vinyl dye.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50033688818_06758958c6_b-1.jpg

Now because I didn't want to cut any holes in the seats or rear package tray, this is the most difficult part of the install. It meant that I had to put the rear seat back in place, put both seats in the back, clip on the rear support strap over the rear seat, then I could install the rear seat normally. What's nice about it is, the straps seamlessly disappear into the truck and look really clean from the outside looking in. It just makes installing the rear seat bottom incredibly difficult.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50034226941_de8f4f7635_b-1.jpg

Then I just took my time and slowly moved the rear seat bottom in place. I basically had to move inch by inch so that everything would line up properly. It also took some work to get all the straps nice and tight, but I feel so much better about this than using the stock seat belts. Once my son get's older and grows out of this seat I'll have to figure out a rear shoulder strap similar to what Clint (Bandit) did on his Nova. I'm stoked to have a completed interior!!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50034483477_0f44d65fe7_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50034223576_07de4b4d57_b-1.jpg

Full disclosure, please do this at your own risk. This is not a how-to and I'm not an engineer. I'm using parts from Ford that weren't designed for this car, but feel comfortable my installation is much safer than the 50+ year old seat belts installed in the car currently.

Now as luck would have it, my car is up on jack stands again. I had an appointment this past Friday at the shop for a proper alignment using Speedtech specs, installing new smaller diameter 245/40/18 tires and inspection. However, I got a call that they couldn't perform the front end alignment because of a bad outer driver side tie rod. I was still able to get the inspection, so that's good. When I got it home, I immediately put it up on jack stands, pulled the wheels off and confirmed that it was toast. Then luckily as I was pulling the wheels off I was checking everything else and wiggled the wheel studs and I had two loose on the driver's side, then checked and had two loose on the passenger side. Not sure what happened when I was drilling them out in my dad's drill press, but it looks like I bored the holes too big. I used a 39/64 drill bit for the .625 Knurl studs, but maybe there was some run out on his drill press.

So after considering all of my options (new studs with a larger knurl, CPP C5 spindles, and etc) I decided to give Flynbye (Ed Miller) a call and he hooked me up with a set of his custom Aluminum hubs with new 1/2 -20 wheel studs already installed. Great value and are about half the price of any other custom wheel hubs I could find online. I'm hoping to have them soon and get the car back on the road. I also bought all of the parts to hopefully fix my gas tank. Hoping to get that figured out too.

I rescheduled my alignment and tire install appointment for 7/6, so hopefully all of my parts arrive by then.

Cheers,
Ryan

[slimjim]

Looks good, the kids will love it

[mnr60]

Looks GREAT Ryan!!!
Now get out there and cruise with the boys!
They will grow up with a great memory of how COOL their dad is!

[ryeguy2006a]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9YJOdR37Js

So I took my wheels off and found this...

[eville]

How big are the spaces you’re running? Had you ever retorqued those?

[jasonz28camaro]

[QUOTE=ryeguy2006a;1333302]Keep it up man, your project is looking great!

Haven't been doing anything to my car, but driving it which feels really nice. I've been playing with the Holley software and reading up all of the tables that are in the more advanced features. I've been taking it on a drive about once a week with my wife at lunchtime which has been really nice. The car is a blast to drive and I've been trying to improve on things ever so slightly to make it that much better.

Eventually this will be a cruiser for my family and I want to be sure that my two boys are safe and comfortable. I've been searching online high and low for a set of retro-fit LATCH hooks and a few months ago I finally found a set that will work for me. They are from Ford to retro-fit some model year Mustangs and Crown Vic's, part number F3LY-63613D74-A. As I always do, I price matched online and found that TASCA Ford has them at a unit price of $0.01! I couldn't even come close to making them myself for that price!

I thought that it must be an error, but I added 6 to my cart (3 for each seat) and hit the check out button. It ended up coming to around $11 with shipping and arrived about a week later. They are going to work perfectly, but I need to get the rear seat installed so that I can make sure that the seats are centered squarely in the rear seat. I'm hoping to install those soon, but here's a picture of what you get.


Thanks for this and the pics. I was planning on doing something similar with mine for my carseat and this helps! I'd like to try to make something that allowed me to install the car seat without having to remove the seats but havent got that far yet.

[ryeguy2006a]

How big are the spaces you’re running? Had you ever retorqued those?

No spacer in the front and the rear I ended up with a 1" spacer. I've re-torqued a few times and the lugs have always been very tight when I went to loosen them so they are holding the torque.

Jason, I went back and forth on my options, but decided that in the grand scheme of things that car seats are pretty temporary so I didn't want to overly modify the car for them. I'm not looking forward to having to remove them if I need to, but feel so much safer to me than using the stock seat belts. Plus when I did use the seat belts, the large buckle latch was right at my son's back so I had to put a towel in there for him to be comfortable. I'm very happy with the way they turned out. Once it comes time for booster seats, I'll do something like what Bandit did with his Nova and retro-fit some shoulder harnesses in the rear.

[ryeguy2006a]

So this tie rod ended up getting expensive... First I got all the parts to fix the tie rods. New Moog inners and outers with new adjusting sleeves. I also grabbed a nice overflow jug from Dorman while I was already making the order.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50061658321_f68088b799_b-1.jpg

Pulled the old side and got it close to the new assembly. Should be close enough to get me a few miles up the road when it comes time to get it aligned next Monday.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50061657666_d55db6b10f_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50061657436_390295b8a5_b-1.jpg

Once I got that straightened out, it was time to focus on fixing the wobbling wheel studs... After pricing out what it was going to cost to get new wheel studs the next size up, I contacted Flynbye with their bolt on aluminum hubs and cut me a good deal shipped to my door. They are very high quality and am very impressed with them considering they are half the price of other aluminum hubs. They came to me very quick and Ed was great to chat with on the phone. He answered all of my questions. The hubs came with new Timkin Bearings and 1/2" wheel studs already pressed in.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50061076798_7724c47e08_b-1.jpg

Unfortunately upon test fitting, the wheel studs weren't long enough and only allowed for about half of a lug nut of thread engagement. After a lot of back and forth trying to decide what to do, I decided to pop out a lug nut to determine the knurl diameter and get some new studs. Wouldn't you know, they measured right in at .625" which is the same as a set of ARP studs I had on my shelf! Very lucky, so I opted to just press them all out and run the longer ARP's.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50061886962_90ca47dd60_b-1.jpg

Since I don't have access to a press, I decided to work with what I had... a ball joint press. I made sure to put some cardboard between the press and the hubs when I was making the press which saved the anodizing. It worked surprisingly well although a press would have made it much easier. Oh, and the wheel studs can be installed both ways so be sure to press them in the right direction. Not that I would do that...

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50061886567_94703d3e97_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50061637741_09c6c62b81_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50061637966_178735c268_b-1.jpg

Then I packed the bearings with high temp grease and installed the new hubs. I torqued to 12 lbs while rotating the wheel and the driver's side pin slid right in, and the passenger side I had to back it off as the cotter pin hole fell right in the middle of two of the crowns. I backed it off to the next hole.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50061637646_fdf1ed67e1_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50061635896_61e2ce869c_b-1.jpg

What was interesting is that the new hubs were supposed to be a direct replacement, but when I did a test fit of the abutment brackets, the rotor wasn't centered. It required that I add another .100" shim to center it between the pad mounts. Thought I would include this for someone that may be swapping them out.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50061072263_b78016b8ae_b-1.jpg

The car is all back together and I quickly dialed in the toe measurements and will go for a test drive sometime this week when we get some clear weather. Should be ready for a front end alignment now. Overall, I'm glad that I found the loose stud, since I ended up with a much stronger hub and matching color wheel studs with the rear. (if that matters haha)

[ryeguy2006a]

While I was in the middle of swapping out the hubs, I finally installed an overflow jug. Ever since I had the car, the radiator was operating with a partially full radiator, which is certainly not ideal. I mocked it up and it fit very nicely in this little spot under the top radiator hose next to the battery.

I've always wanted to try one of those Rivnut tools so I thought this would be a great opportunity to do so. It turned out to be a very clean install and I'm glad I went with that tool.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50061899912_417f5caa56_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50061651996_c31858fa2a_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50061650586_e0e38f6b9d_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50061649666_717d749cbf_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50061894032_c0177065e9_b-1.jpg

With the shroud back in the car, it's very nice and tidy. Pretty much disappears down low.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50061082518_e4293426a2_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50061082213_ff50635665_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50061889797_20bc486206_b-1.jpg

I also picked up a good deal on some extremely low mileage LS7 lifters and LS2 trays from a guy parting out a 22k mile 2017 L96 6.0 engine. They seriously look brand new and will work very nicely for the next project I have in mind.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50061072303_7be0ab76d5_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50061633146_17b887691b_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/50061632876_99b47220af_b-1.jpg

After a careful inspection of all the lifters, they went into a bath of new oil for when I'm ready for them.

Cheers,
Ryan

[ryeguy2006a]

I moved my car outside for the kiddos to play in the garage for the 4th, and grabbed some pictures of the car when the sun was starting to get low. I'm not a photographer, but I think they turned out pretty good. The first picture is my new favorite.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/07/50086571086_4498417038_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/07/50085986803_c67eeff810_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/07/50086805612_2c1772f033_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/07/50086566566_c9373e1ed5_b-1.jpg

I love how straight the front RS grills turned out. I see so many where the doors are crooked. I spent a lot of time to make sure mine were straight and consistent during panel fitment.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/07/50085982198_03bab4b988_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/07/50086801297_bfc1e29d68_b-1.jpg

On Monday I was able to get my car back into the shop to get the front end alignment and a new set of front tires. It went off without a hitch and my guy was able to get the specs really close. He said that this was as close as he could get to my specs which I'm happy with. I gave him the specs that Speedtech gives with their control arm kits and the hand written numbers are what he was able to get them to. Feel free to chime in on the specs if they should be adjusted. I know what each of them mean in relation to the wheel, but as far as what each of the specs does to the way the car drives is way out of my wheel house.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/07/50086796642_fce80e69a4_b-1.jpg

Then right as I was leaving he goes, "Do you want all your shims?" I wasn't sure what he meant, but then he explained that the car was way out of alignment then handed me a pile of shims! He said that I actually had positive camber, which definitely doesn't help a performance car steer.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/07/50086797457_f76e7d32a8_b-1.jpg

I snapped a few pictures of the new tires when I got home. The tires that I replaced were 235/50-18 and the new tires are 245/40-18. I had to replace the front tires since they were too tall and actually rubbing the inner wheel house and fender in a few spots. I found several people online that said these wheels fit first gen's with 18's, but I went back and forth between a 245/45 (26.7" tall) and a 245/40 (25.7" tall). According to the tire calculators the 235/50 is 27.3" tall, so I opted for the smaller diameter to give a higher margin and maybe a tighter turning radius. After shopping around and not exactly 100% confident of the tire size I found the best rated and cheapest tire I could find. I came across a pair of Achilles ATR Sport 2 from a reputable seller on eBay for $159 with tax and shipped to my door.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/07/50085977718_2d0fe4543b_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/07/50086559101_21a1332703_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/07/50086794467_1673538e4e_b-1.jpg

It's got a pretty cool tread pattern too, which is a bonus.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/07/50085975398_d7a73bf0d3_b-1.jpg

Now my first impressions are that the car handles night and day differently. Before I always felt that it would turn quickly and confidently to the left, but was slow to react and soft making a right turn. I'm very glad that I finally got a proper alignment on the car. I'm really looking forward to getting on some windy roads and really seeing the car shine. The tires give way more grip than the old and cracking tires, so I couldn't be happier. There is a slight bit of play in the steering box, but I believe I can tighten that up and it will be right where I want it to be. The last suspension modification that I would like to do down the road is a pair of frame ties.

Thanks,
Ryan

[TheBandit]

Alignment makes a big difference for sure! I'm surprised you drove it out of alignment for so long. Personally I run more camber and caster on the street, but the specs you are at will be easy on the tires.

If you're interested in doing your own alignments at home, here's what I have done: https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/133715-DIY-Alignment-Am-I-doing-it-right

[ryeguy2006a]

It's been a while since my last post. Been busy driving the car and doing a few things here and there. Nothing too big until yesterday. I finally got around to hooking up and installing my eBrakes. I picked up a universal kit from Jeg's and was pleasantly surprised to find that the clevis' that came with it were a direct fit for my LS1 rear brakes. Win!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50196554472_81eaf544cf_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50196552087_821f41fc26_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50195744438_76fa8fae4a_b-1.jpg

Only thing I needed to do was find some larger washers with the right diameter for the cable brackets I have on the car. I believe they were originally meant to work with the stock 98-02 Fbody cables.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50235835238_346d6fb5af_b-1.jpg

Once installed, the fit like a glove and had a very smooth operation.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50235831378_b3283707a9_b-1.jpg

Up front inside the cabin was nothing special, just a replacement OEM cable from Dorman I believe. But in order to use that clever little cable clamp, I had to re-tap the thread size. The stock size was fine thread 5/16, but the front cable was 5/16 course thread. So I just ran the tap through and it worked like a charm. I also have two nuts on the backside of the cable so it shouldn't come loose.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50235831998_69e4f5a0aa_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50235829258_e61870eb16_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50236475006_4bb93bbab4_b-1.jpg

When I placed the order for the cables I also picked up a new clutch master cylinder. I am running a Tick 4th gen Fbody master cylinder and they equip them with a 7/8" bore, which makes for more pressure, but a heavier clutch. I'm swapping the 7/8" out for a 3/4" which should give a lighter clutch pedal closer to stock. I'm hoping that it will be easier to modulate the clutch pedal too as it should have a slightly longer throw. It's very touchy right now.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50195744648_a3b7039873_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50196297521_7898ecf5e8_b-1.jpg

I've also been working on a few projects with my older son. We are building a 57 Bel Air and I found a can of Torch Red touch up paint so the model will be an exact match to my Camaro.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50196093371_f6199cb787_b-1.jpg

We also modded his new bike. You have to personalize it right!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50235824678_15f428f560_b-1.jpg

He loves sitting in my car and shifting through the gears too.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50236716112_79973b82a4_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50236504181_b1000be104_b-1.jpg

My neighbor was selling a nice band saw recently so I picked that up from him. I'm planning to redo my exhaust this winter and this will come in handy.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50196554437_278e36676e_b-1.jpg

I've been slowly collecting more parts for my next stage too.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50236493616_740ba9b8eb_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50195542918_54fce68e04_b-1.jpg

We recently got away to a family friend's cabin in the Adirondacks. It was a great way for us to get away and still be socially distanced. Our whole family really needed that break.

Small mouth on the camp fire grilling.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50236717492_8472cccd7c_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50235850958_6cd46cde2c_b-1.jpg

Cheers,
Ryan

[ryeguy2006a]

I ordered these about a month ago on Etsy, and they finally showed up! I had some hub cap decals made that will replace the BMW logo from the M Parallel wheels that I'm running. I wasn't sure how close the silver would be, but figured if it was lighter or darker it would still look good. But wow, it's almost a dead match! I'm so happy with the results. Other than that little "M" most probably won't know they are off of a BMW. I had them made to replicate the "rs" logo from the horn button.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50240630456_f8a397c9ed_b-1.jpg

Disassembled the hub caps by removing the plastic trim pieces that held on the BMW centers. The new caps I had made were slightly oversized and had an adhesive back so I didn't need those rings.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50239987458_2a3c2e46d9_b-1.jpg

For something so simple, I'm super excited as it really finishes off the car. It looks complete now.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50240841332_1d14e6abb1_b-1.jpg

My son helped me pop them on and he wasn't too concerned about placement haha. I'll straighten them out to match the "M" logo, but I was glad he wanted to help.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50240626466_490df42a71_b-1.jpg

So much better. Glad that the camera hides all of the dirt because the car is filthy. Needs a bath very badly.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50240855492_2b91e37d78_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50239982253_f84668af94_b-1.jpg

Thanks,
Ryan

[JMG-63]

Ryan,

Watching your build unfold is causing me a huge problem. I now really want a first gen in my garage...

Jeff

[Vimes]

That little M logo looks like a great place for a little bow tie.

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks Jeff.

You know I've had a few people suggest that now. I'm going to look into it.

[ryeguy2006a]

I was very excited to receive the FAST 102 intake as the seller gave me a really good deal including a set of Aeromotive fuel rails.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50195542918_54fce68e04_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50195543848_2872ef9ac2_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50195542268_7491183c01_b-1.jpg

Although after I was looking at it for a few minutes, I noticed that the upper intake wasn't sitting flush with the lower on the driver's side. So I tried tightening it, but nothing happened? So I pulled off the upper and found this...

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50196348107_55c662faed_b-1.jpg

After I pulled the nut and a ton of silicone.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50195539683_50fe6be1c8_b-1.jpg

Here is the passenger side and what it should look like.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50196347567_cf79da6213_b-1.jpg

I contacted the seller and he said that he was unaware and wouldn't have sold it to me if he knew it was broken. They offered to give me a refund, but given the high cost of shipping, I was hoping to get a partial refund. Was in communication, but then radio silence...

Anyway, I was pretty confident that I could repair it with epoxy considering it was on the outside of the intake seal, and the broken piece was sort of a cone shape. So as it was torqued, it would only get tighter to the lower manifold.

Thanks,
Ryan

[ryeguy2006a]

After assessing the damage and dug out all of the silicone that was holding the nut in place. The nut actually pulls in from the bottom, so I'm not sure why it was above where it should have been?

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50236728612_e390fc3258_b-1.jpg

The great news is that the damage was to the outside of the rope seal for the upper and lower shells, so the repair really only needed to keep the seal and nut in place. I figured I'd give it a shot and grabbed some JB weld.

I started by adding some tape as a guide to replicate the seal tray area, and also found the end of the crack and drilled it with the smallest bit I had. Hopefully that stops the crack from continuing.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50236510676_f2387777fc_b-1.jpg

So after giving it some thought on how I wanted to proceed, I came up with how I wanted to get the bolt hole. I found a straw in the kitchen that would allow for me to put the bolt through it and wrapped it with painters tape until it had the same diameter as the good hole on the other side. Since there was enough of the original hole and the hex on the bottom side for the nut, I knew exactly where it needed to be. Just basically filling in the gap.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50235859818_953729c933_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50236725652_49a6f47536_b-1.jpg

I couldn't really find a good answer online for what JB weld product to use, so this was a little bit of trial and error. I found this product that said it worked with composites and to boot it was black so it would hopefully make for a seamless repair. Not sure if there was a chemical reaction or if I didn't squeeze out enough in the beginning to ensure I had a good 50/50 mix, but it never hardened. I waited for about a week and it still hadn't set up. So, I cleaned it all out again and tried the gray for plastics.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50235863708_386d2a4213_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50236723397_b5a3290c06_b-1.jpg

Take two!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50236709947_f313ef643d_b-1.jpg

Now that worked just like advertised and those little mixing tubes worked so well. It gives you much more time to work with the material rather than spending some of that time mixing on a piece of cardboard.

It sanded quite easily and had a very strong grip on the material. Very happy with the results.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50236491861_9730dca377_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50236489376_0962d77c7f_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50235840103_1e33ecd4ee_b-1.jpg

Then I torqued down the front two bolts to see how it would hold up, and it seems to be a very strong repair. I was able to get the top shell to sit flush with the lower just like the other side. So I'm thrilled that I was able to save it.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50236485771_2346f55d9d_b-1.jpg

I suppose there is a silver lining to everything, so as I was doing the repair I thought I might as well take the intake runners off to see if there was any other damage, or debris. I ended up finding that 5 of the 8 runner seals were torn in half and a few of the runners had some junk on the top sides. It almost looked a little metallic, but wouldn't stick to a magnet. So unless it was aluminum or another non-magnetic metal, I'm not sure what it was. Either way the entire intake is getting a deep clean to avoid any issues down the road.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50236505991_a5ae32b9b7_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50235857448_375dc8d643_b-1.jpg

I'm ordering new runner seals and stainless hardware including the intake runners. They come with steel hardware inside and a few of the tops of the bolts were rusty.

Cheers,
Ryan

[ryeguy2006a]

Ok, I'm sure that the suspense is killing everyone, but I'm finally ready to disclose the secret I have planned for my car. I had a buddy of mine pick up a 07 Denali several months ago, and I called dibs on the 6.2 L92. I've been keeping my eyes out for one for a while since I've really always wanted at least a 6.2 for this car. He gave me a great deal on the long block and I finally picked it up last week. There was some strange issue with the title of the truck which is the reason that it was being parted out, so the engine is in great shape and running the day that he pulled it over to his garage to pull the motor. He said he spun 3 of the 4 tires when he drove it over and was quite impressed with the power it made stock.

I'm planning to disassemble the motor down to the short block, check everything out and replace everything other than the block, covers and rotating assembly. I'm planning on deleting VVT with a stage 3 cam, LS7 lifters, new oil pump, new timing chain, and etc. for the short block. For the heads, I'm running a pair of LS3 821 heads I picked up a while ago and doing some light porting on the exhaust side and possibly some bowl clean up, but nothing crazy. I'll be leaving the intake runners completely stock. I'm in the process of cleaning up the FAST 102 intake I picked up and will be getting a set of LS9 injectors to top off that package. While I have the intake separated, I'm planning on assessing the ports for any potential light matching they would require, but again nothing crazy.

One of the great things about the Terminator X EFI is I can simply change a few boxes and convert from 24x/1x signals to 58x/4x signals for the crank/cam. It's really that simple for the tune. Now on the harness side I am deciding now if I want to modify the one wire in the harness to give the crank/cam sensors the gen4 5v rather than the 12v signal in the gen3 sensors. The other possibility is just selling my harness/ecu outright and purchasing the same thing, but set up for the LS3 style injectors and crank/cam voltage. I'm really leaning toward just modifying what I have since it was a PITA to install in the first place. Time will tell though.

Day I brought it home.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50263362311_79ca259295_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50263546792_e9209c7c40_b-1.jpg

First step was cleaning up the short block. I sprayed it multiple times with oven cleaner and used the power washer to get the bulk of it off. Overall I'm pretty happy with the way that it's cleaning up. I'm debating on whether or not to clean it up and get some VHT engine enamel or leave it natural.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50262737643_3bbc8c64de_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50263395441_243dc46120_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50263392771_a2de4e3b8b_b-1.jpg

After I cleaned it up, I was like a kid in a candy store. I had to rip it apart and see what I was working with. I wasn't thrilled to see that much gunk in the motor, but it did have solid oil pressure when it was parked. I'm not going to use these heads, so I'm not too concerned.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50263575082_341254890b_b-1.jpg

First head is off. I was very pleased to see that the cylinder walls were all in great shape and all had visible cross hatching.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50263385686_454ebcba99_b-1.jpg

I hate posting pictures like this because it doesn't give a good representation of the actual condition as the camera picks up things that I can't even see. There wasn't any thing that I could catch with a fingernail. this isn't even cleaned up and there was some debris in there from pulling the head. Once I get everything cleaned up I'll follow-up with some better pictures.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50263571302_b783dd97e5_b-1.jpg

Here is the same picture above but all cleaned up.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50263561047_6cdf943c13_b-1.jpg

I'd love the outside of the motor to come out like the spot behind the bell-housing. Any tips other than painting the block of how to clean it up?

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50262721393_668932df2f_b-1.jpg

Pushed to the side for when I have time to clean it up and prep it for parts.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50279123456_626a8115b2_b-1.jpg

It's been storming lately so I took that opportunity to fix my fuel leak and while it was out I was going to fix my fuel sender. I was using the 5th gen fuel sender and the OHMs were different.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50263561062_fd5efe117c_b-1.jpg

You can see where it was leaking.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50263560452_1900e6f96f_b-1.jpg

I siphoned out as much of the gas as I could to avoid smelling like a gas can every time I worked on it.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50262711833_2321c7968b_b-1.jpg

I confirmed that the fuel level sender worked properly for my car and then I played around with getting the float in the right spot to read correctly full and empty. It's actually much more difficult than it sounds. I should have paid more attention to where I placed the level sender for a better shot for the fuel level sender. A trick I used was the copper wire from house wiring. It is so much easier to bent and tweak than the stainless wire on the float. Then I copied it over to the stainless rod.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50263555782_3258084b4b_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50263556267_306f3aea2c_b-1.jpg

I didn't get any picture of the finished sender, but it's pretty unique to my car. I then came up with this system to put pressure on my fuel tank to check for leaks. It's a typical house sprayer for round-up and I added a nozzel to go to a 1/4" NPT and grabbed a PVC pipe that I could do the same for the fuel filler. It worked great and showed me all the spots where it was leaking. The picture below is when I was testing for current leaks. Wow, there were a lot. The bubbles around the outside of the fuel recess aren't leaks, they are just collected there. All the one's around the fuel ring are leaks.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50279268822_a8a2620f7e_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/08/50279277442_7fc276a11b_b-1.jpg

Cheers,
Ryan

[F-Body International]

Man I’m excited for you to get this engine going.

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks, I'm pretty excited too. I've been slowly collecting parts to complete this swap.

Some head gaskets, exhaust gaskets and a new pilot bearing (small bearing).

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50303934548_8752cb7b5a_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50304768737_ce69e83901_b-1.jpg

I likely won't end up using it, but I picked up a zero mile stock LS3 cam and sprocket that someone pulled out to do a full top end build on a new crate motor. At the very least, I can put this motor together with VVT delete now.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50279266822_7085caf19e_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50278428353_a4081e9a7c_b-1.jpg

I also grabbed some lightly used PAC .650 lift springs and all associated components. Now, I'm in the market for a stage 2 or 3 cam to complete the package.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50304827112_b2794206a5_b-1.jpg

I've needed one enough times that I decided to just buy one of the damper pullers. Now I just have one and don't need to run to the parts store, and this one comes with the rods to do the job right. Very highly rated on Amazon. Also grabbed a cheap flywheel locking tool. I need to grab a flexplate from a buddy and then I can pull the rest of the motor apart.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50304809372_41fe69b7ea_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50304799327_40e4f5dbca_b-1.jpg

I was also missing some of the hardware for the FAST intake and the fuel rail bolts came in so I could do a test fit for the rails and see how they look. I'm torn between those rails or the Holley EFI rails I picked up a while ago. Decisions....

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50304617151_a6f85893c7_b-1.jpg

I've heard a lot of good feedback on the GPlus throttle bodies so I thought I'd give it a try for $60 bucks. First impressions are that I'm very impressed with the quality. It seems to be quite well made for the price, but the real test will be how it responds when the car is up and running. And wow, 102mm is huge!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50303934888_0fcc7d81db_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50303934408_b52b6cb1a5_b-1.jpg

I have really just been driving the car and haven't been working on it, which is a nice change.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50303963623_55c4075515_b-1.jpg

Snapped this cool picture of my two boys. Trying to get them involved as much as I can right now.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50304806357_2800aa456d_b-1.jpg

I was however getting tired of listening to just engine noises, so I tossed in an extra stereo I had on my shelf so that I had some tunes. I also did it to see how I would like a double din and if it was worth the effort to install one. Still up in the air, but for the time being zip ties to the rescue!!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50304653981_2e344e703a_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50303968513_6804a1d81f_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50304806107_c21833c27d_b-1.jpg

I've also been playing around with the Holley software and learning a lot with the help of Andrew, (andrewb70). He's a wizard with the Holley software and my car runs the best it has with his help.

We were addressing some of the funky VE table issues and got it smoothed out now.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50304804012_67a8b0bed8_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50304805227_b8cc81442c_b-1.jpg

Here is the learn table which is where the system will self tune. It's now within 5% which is good in my books.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50304803582_2288569c4e_b-1.jpg

I'm going to start playing around with the timing tables to get a little more out of the car. I first wanted to make sure that my knock sensors are functional, and noticed that this table is zero'd out. I'll need to get in and add some Knock Retard before I start adding timing.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50304649091_4dfbff155d_b-1.jpg

Then last night I went out and decided to see what I could do about getting the engine cleaned up further. It turned out really well for just a little elbow grease. More to come!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50304614961_d1999946e5_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50304615791_c983dd5b9d_b-1.jpg

Cheers,
Ryan

[Just 1 More]

Check out some of the Sony XAV-AX series heads, AX5000, 7000, 8000, I have the AX5000 for now but will probably upgrade to the 7000 https://www.sony.com/electronics/in-car-receivers-players/xav-ax7000

[ryeguy2006a]

Still plugging away and seeing how all of the parts are going to work together. I started taking some measurements and noticed that the opening for the FAST intake wasn't a true 102mm horizontally, but was vertically. So after a quick call to FAST, they informed me that this can be common when the throttle bodies are over-tightened. After looking a little closer the sides of the intake opening were cupped towards the center. After I took measurements from the throttlebody vs the opening of the intake it confirmed that. So I started the process of slowly heating it up and straightening it. Not sure if I buy the over-tightened story, but it was straight from FAST so it is what it is.

I found out that a 3" PVC pipe has almost exactly a 4" outer diameter, so I used that as a starting point to get it back to where it should be. I didn't get a picture of the measurements before I started but it was around 3.870", which is much smaller than 4.016"(converted from 102mm). I cut about 1" off of the end of the PVC pipe and then cut a section out of it. I heated it up and slowly added some body shims I had to help this stretch back into place.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50341944942_a25028ed8e_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50341106313_9e9285137c_b-1.jpg

Getting better

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50341784616_e36834a8f3_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50341946137_268aa6643a_b-1.jpg

Eventually I was able to get the whole PVC pipe in there which measured out at 4.020, so it was a little larger than the TB. But what happened is the intake would stretch back to it's natural position and wouldn't get any larger than 3.965". At this point it's close enough for me to catch it with a cartridge roll and have a flush opening with the TB.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50341781516_8574426960_b-1.jpg

I'm much happier with this now. Should have gotten a picture before I started. I could actually see the seal for the TB...

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50341942117_e5f27f85f7_b-1.jpg

While I had the intake out, I decided to throw on a set of Holley EFI fuel rails I've had for a while and they actually fit much better than the Aeromotive rails. I think that with the stainless steel heads on the bolts, it will break up all the black and look really good. I may brush some Torch Red paint I have on the logos on the intake.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50341942032_e098d15165_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50341937952_4196d7b5f7_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50341776591_b867a0ac92_b-1.jpg

On Saturday I got my car out for a short drive and wanted to grab some pictures. Thought I'd share. I'm no photographer, but I think they turned out pretty good for cell phone pictures.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50341925517_1930768920_b-1.jpg

This is a cool picture because in 2012 we had a historic flood in this town and that blue label on the sign behind the car was the highest level that the water rose to!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50341085603_04eb08fa4e_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50341926322_669fd32427_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50341771121_e6ef852439_b-1.jpg

This was my favorite picture from the day.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50341771401_2a0b7d2c29_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50341778076_19ed24683f_b-1.jpg

Cheers,
Ryan

[slimjim]

Looking good mate, can't wait to see the new engine overhaul and hear about the comparisons

[ryeguy2006a]

Not a huge update, just collecting parts and tinkering on the motor and intake. Mostly just driving the car as the driving season is coming to an end. I was planning on modifying my stock 24x harness that came with my Terminator X so that it will run properly with the 58x engine, but came across a great deal on a 58x harness. There were enough differences, that it made sense to just buy this harness since it was about 1/3 the price of new. The guy also included an I/O harness add on and swapped the LS1 style MAP pigtail for the LS3 style.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50400708391_3f2e353c11_b-1.jpg

Only thing missing or modified was the seal and terminal retainer for these three pigtails. Cheap fix to get more.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50400865577_0a7b469cc4_b-1.jpg

Bobby (Uglybird) hooked me up with a set of 52lb. LSA injectors that he wasn't using. Thanks again man.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50400239528_79c5fae685_b-1.jpg

I also picked up all brand new stainless hardware for the FAST intake. All of the external hardware had seen better days, so I swapped it all out. There are 8 internal flange bolts that hold each of the runners in place, which are not stainless. I searched high and low and finally found a set in stainless for a great price. I also bought some brand new runner seals since 5 of the 8 were torn. Should be good as new once I put it all back together.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50400937186_6905d6d31e_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50400937761_139cd5b096_b-1.jpg

I set the low mileage 0821 heads on the motor just to see what it all looks like. I can't wait to tear into it. I'm waiting for my buddy to get me a flexplate so that I can get the balancer bolt off and see what the cam bearings look like.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50400240588_2033a85a1e_b-1.jpg

I also pulled the upper intake off to see how the ports matched up with the heads. Really not bad at all, but I'll touch up where the runners don't quite match up. Also now that I have the runner seals, I can re-install the runners and lightly port where the runners meet up to the intake flange. I've read that is where any gains would be made on these intakes, so I'll lightly hit them. Again, not going crazy, but while I'm there I might as well.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50400240948_c0fba0f49c_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50401095757_999d6a6f70_b-1.jpg

Over the past weekend I needed to run to Home Depot to grab a few bags of concrete. She handled it like a champ!! Just truck stuff, no big deal.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50401093442_081b6b6e61_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50400711811_6a76856550_b-1.jpg

I stopped at my old office building on Cornell's campus and grabbed some cool fall pictures.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50400012173_864f99693b_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50400708976_a7b523c1c8_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50400013878_5acb015657_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50400013963_ca81dabe2d_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50400868832_995001b964_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/09/50400239308_e0e3fb834b_b-1.jpg

Cheers,
Ryan

[andrewb70]

You'll definitely enjoy the extra displacement!

Andrew

[ryeguy2006a]

This all feels very familiar. I guess I do this to myself haha

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50478456888_2f9e01c39e_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50478456548_b51a420b57_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50479309607_8cc408ba12_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50478451263_8e8c2a46a5_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50479158971_14e8535d94_b-1.jpg

[andrewb70]

Nothing like pulling a perfectly good engine...lol

[ryeguy2006a]

After a busy week of carefully removing all of the engine components it was time to get that LS1 out of there. I pulled the motor and trans together, but not after a little drama. I was going to meet the potential buyer Sunday morning, so I had prepped the car all week here and there to be able to pull the motor Friday night after my boys went to sleep. That way I'd have plenty of time and wouldn't need to rush since I do not want to repaint anything! Well my engine hoist had other plans...

I started trying to jack up the motor and it was leaking internally. Then I noticed this and by that time all the stores that had a new jack were all closed.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50505563967_40d45c7255_b-1.jpg

I ran to the trusty Harbor Freight Saturday morning and was able to get the new ram swapped in just a few minutes. Then take two for Saturday afternoon and the motor came out pretty uneventful. My older son even "helped" me. I liked having him out there as we was taking tools out of my toolbox and stacking/organizing them on the floor in his own way.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50505561437_045c5f6c05_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50504689548_27a008135a_b-1.jpg

It's so oily because I had to swap oil pans. I kept the Holley 302-3.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50505400356_710257f9a8_b-1.jpg

Now I have this strange empty feeling inside...

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50505400536_867e9213f3_b-1.jpg

And looking toward the future, I've decided to change directions slightly and sold the FAST 102. I'm not in the process of collecting parts to add some boost in the way of an LSA supercharger. I'm currently hunting for parts, so if you happen to have a supercharger and lid on the shelf and want it to go to a good home, shoot me a PM.

I picked up this Livernoise Firestorm fuel pump assembly for a killer price, but will need to fix the fuel hat. I think I have a clever solution for that, I'll check in soon. Livernoise says it will support 800HP, so it will support way more than I'll need.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50505418836_14f8036e13_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50505581837_1943f454a8_b-1.jpg

Dual 255 LPH pumps

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50504689943_614e4f7f97_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50505563527_97e78f5f11_b-1.jpg

I kept having my fuel tank leaking and ended up pulling the trigger on the Rick's Resto-Mod tank. It will give me room to grow if/when I do a mini-tub, corner pickups, and larger fuel capacity. That's what happens when you have too much to drink working out in the garage I guess haha. I have to say that I'm super impressed with the quality and the construction. Even though the 5th gen pumps don't need it they added some internal baffling, which will help with hard accel or decel.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50504732813_6a1ec95bd0_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50505444796_56c43f9137_b-1.jpg

Corner pickups

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50504706628_6a934104da_b-1.jpg

Internal baffling.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50504704853_bccbe974d5_b-1.jpg

All for now, but I'll be adding parts as I now need a transmission, intake and everything else to get this back together.

Cheers,
Ryan

[Hotwire]

Man I dropped in right in time! I had a nasty L33 (aluminum 5.3) I was trying to clean up and this 1-2 combo worked for me.

Try using purple power foaming all purpose citrus cleaner, can't miss it, clear neon orange bottle. That'll degrease the block really well and clean the aluminum up too.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Purple-Power-Super-Citrus-Cleaner-32-oz/16879848

If you want to go the extra mile get aluminum brightener ( I usually get the Napa brand). THIS IS AN ACID!!!!!! Just want you to be aware of this. Too much time on aluminum, painted, or plastic parts will stain it.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/MCR1458?partTypeName=Aluminum+Brightener+Cleaner&keywordInput=aluminum+brightener

I learned about this stuff when I was a teenager helping out a detailer. He would use it for really nasty wheels, cleaned them right up with a pressure washer. Once you degrease the engine, wet it down, spray this stuff on (don't inhale it, you'll be locked up for covid), let it sit long enough to grab a long bristle brush, agitate the area you're cleaning, then rinse it off. I would recommend trying it on a head you aren't using, cover/oil pan, or the back of the block to try it out.

Brush I use, works great, but acid will take it's affect on it and reduce it's life

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_7601850?partTypeName=Brush&keywordInput=wheel+brush

My engine and heads looked like it'd just come off the factory hoist when I was done. Be wary of using the acid on the machined flats of the engine/heads, might leave chemical streaks.

Good luck!

[ryeguy2006a]

Right on man, thanks for the tips!

[Hotwire]

Hope it cleans up for you as well as mine did.:fingersx:

Found pics of the engine. After I bolted worked heads and freshly painted tins on it I knew I had to do something.
180410

Money shot
180411

[ryeguy2006a]

Did you add anything to protect it from future oxidation?

[Hotwire]

No sir, left it bare.

[FormTA]

Great aluminum cleaning tips! I wi have to try that as well. Seems slow over here as well Ryan.

[ryeguy2006a]

I made some progress on the disassembly of the 6.2 this weekend. I needed to get the timing cover off to keep digging deeper to inspect the motor. After a little persuasion I was able to break the balancer bolt free so that I could remove the timing cover.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50535933698_0150863507_b-1.jpg

I picked up this puller from OEM tools and it made pulling the balancer super easy. I've wanted one for a while, so I figured I would spring for the purchase this time. I'm certain this won't be the last LS balancer I'll pull haha

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50536809377_987f0ebe9c_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50535932243_ef5cf8c4c7_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50536655816_e939fbb914_b-1.jpg

Then it was time to get rid of the VVT parts. I'll hang onto them in case I ever want to try out a VVT cam.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50536654421_396afd3f18_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50536653741_fbfae6f6a4_b-1.jpg

Then it came to pulling the cam and it gave me a little resistance. I thought that was strange as any cam I've done slides back and forth quite easily. Well, the cam bearings are toast...

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50536653956_7ff2d1fac2_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50536805067_364d54d534_b-1.jpg

Check out the groove that the VVT cam left in the center bearing!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50536802702_9bb0ff5a71_b-1.jpg

Then I decided to pull a rod bearing to see how those looked. Wow, what a difference. It's almost hard to believe the motor has almost 200k miles.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50535926583_b3e19e1573_b-1.jpg

After a bunch of research and going out to measure the bearings a few times on my engine. I figured out that I needed the Durabond CHP-23 bearings which is the second design for LS motors. I picked up a bearing installation/removal tool from Car Shop Inc. and it all should be here by the weekend. I'm going to install them myself after watching a few videos of others installing them. Wish me luck!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50536803902_8a850ffccc_b-1.jpg

I do plan to pull the rotating assembly before I install the cam bearings to ensure that I don't get any debris falling down into the rotating assembly. It will also be a good time to thoroughly degrease the entire block while I have it apart. If the rest of the bearings look as good as that one rod bearing I pulled, I'm just going to reuse them.

I've been finding some great deals on used parts too. I picked up a lightly used Vaporworx module from a guy who was going from LSA to a huge turbo and running a fuel cell in the back. He even threw in a bunch of extra wiring and a 3 bar MAP sensor.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50536647376_7c07fe8dd5_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50536799762_b904f0ff1a_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50536648671_2a48a2460a_b-1.jpg

Then I found a guy selling a McLeod RXT twin disk clutch with less than 500 miles on it. He included a steel splined install tool too for way less than half the price of new. He blew his motor and decided to go auto.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50536818997_c4eeb8907e_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50535942663_0c04418e1d_b-1.jpg

I sent my buddy a message that I was looking for a TR6060 so that I could swap tail housings and build my own Magnum trans. Sure enough he had one with about 60k miles on it. Same story, the guy was going auto. Good news for me haha.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50536665681_fff5a65697_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50535942383_4513a0903f_b-1.jpg

Last but not least, I found a really nice condition LSA supercharger! So pumped about this. I already bought a bunch of parts to get everything to play nicely.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50536811677_c9cce1177e_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50535939213_2f882bd229_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50536660736_21c33a0fdb_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50535936703_1662494bf9_b-1.jpg

I'm trying to find a company out there that has a Magnum tail housing conversion that has a magnum mainshaft in stock. It's apparently on national backorder, so I'm going to keep calling around.

Cheers,
Ryan

[slimjim]

you don't mess around, straight onto doubling your horsepower. I need friends like yours. TR6060's are so overpriced IMO, but magnums are even more overpriced lol

[btmatt]

If you don't want to mess with the tail housing conversion, I just finished my swap with a shifter from Core and custom drive shaft from Inland Empire with flange adapter from Sonnax

[Motown 454]

You've got some nice scores there. Keep the updates coming.

[214Chevy]

Nice motor!! That thing will be fun to drive.

[Vimes]

You sure you want to put all that time, effort and money in and re-use 200K mile main bearings when a new set is less than 100 bucks? Main bearings aren't the place to save money, especially with a supercharger sitting on top. It's not like you have to do extra work to get to them here.

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks guys, I appreciate all of the feedback.

Vimes, you are completely right. Once I pulled the mains off anyway, they were worn more than I would have liked so they are being replaced.

[ryeguy2006a]

Well I tore a little deeper into the motor, and it definitely needs main bearings. Although the rod bearings all look great, I'm just going to replace them all while I'm in there. The crank looks fantastic, so I'm not going to touch that. I'll degrease it when the time comes, but otherwise it's going to go right back in.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558948102_37c911b005_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558947587_808e765875_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558946832_8ca25541df_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558823126_3db9d7541a_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558823016_78b8ab9ccb_b-1.jpg

Then out comes the crank. It's very grimy in there from all the oil. I'll be taking care of that soon.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558822746_30b0be8d99_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558946357_3ab5779f7d_b-1.jpg

While the bearings really didn't look bad for how many miles are on them, I might as well replace them while I'm down this far. Not sure how much it would cost to have a machine shop remove and install a set of cam bearings, but I decided to just buy the tool and do it myself. I figured for $100 I will likely do this again at some point in my life. Tools are a great investment. I got this from Car Shop Inc. and I can simply buy a different mandrel for other engines. This one is specific to Gen 3/4 LS.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558905937_608b58a3ec_b-1.jpg

I got my sons involved and my oldest helped drive out the first one while I held it. Pretty cool moment for me. He was riding a bike, and I figured he could keep the helmet on since it couldn't hurt haha.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558890762_001e02d2e5_b-1.jpg

After cleaning the block about 12 different times with purple power, the block really cleaned up nicely. I may hit it a few more times when I get the wire brushes into the oil passages, but I'm happy with how it cleaned up on the inside. Once I clean the passages it's all ready for some new cam bearings.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50557995453_9ba716ab35_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558857702_195ef24955_b-1.jpg

So all the parts came in to repair my Livernoise Firestorm dual pump assembly. The reason that I got it so cheap was because the fuel fitting had broken off where the GM quick connect was. After searching around online, this is actually a very common thing for the CTS-V guys. Since this is essentially a CTS-V pump, it is a very similar fix. I found a guy online who posted up a great write-up on how to fix.

This is how it came on arrival.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50505563527_97e78f5f11_b-1.jpg

Here are all the various parts that I picked up to fix it. There are also my cam bearings, idler pulley and solid isolator for the supercharger.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558030378_cdc30bf65d_b-1.jpg

So the idea is to remove and replace the existing fuel fitting with a 90* AN6 line. What I love about this is the reduced restriction that this will create. Rather than a hard 90* turn for the fuel, this AN6 line has a nice gradual curve to it. Similar to a mandrel bent exhaust pipe vs. a hard kink. Also when I measured it with my caliper, there was a noticeably larger inner diameter for the new fitting. Less restriction on the fuel flow has to help the fuel pumps to work less, which I hope would mean longer life.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558904902_376a36eefa_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558781146_3c043e028e_b-1.jpg

I didn't take pictures in process, but you need to "mill" this internal fitting flat in order for the AN fitting nuts to sit flush inside. If not the barbed fitting wouldn't be long enough to reach. If that makes any sense to anyone. What I used was a flat blade wood drill bit that was 7/8", but it would have worked better with a 1". I trimmed the internal ribs down with a sharp razor blade and made sure that the nut sat flush with the inside.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558781276_a878919297_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558735726_dc5f281129_b-1.jpg

Now where my mod differs from the one done on the CTS-V site, is I decided to thread my fitting directly into the hat. I'm hoping that when I disassemble to add some sealant to the threads for a permanent fix upon reassembly.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558769441_c9e2f8b6db_b-1.jpg

While I needed to fix the fuel fitting, I also needed to add a fuel pressure sensor somewhere for the Vaporworx module to read properly so really this solved two problems for me. Here is the had mocked up in my fuel tank. Very pleased with how that turned out.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558767541_cb8c54dd73_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558767301_e4d5447c4d_b-1.jpg

Here is the pile of plastic that I "milled" out of the fuel hat for this modification.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558028053_0bbd328e1f_b-1.jpg

The only thing left to finish this modification is a new corrugated fuel tube and some clamps.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558890642_b1d8c09241_b-1.jpg

I also picked up a few more parts for my trans conversion. Here is the little unicorn that nobody seemed to have in stock. I searched around and found a shop in PA called Hanlon Motorsports who ended up having two T56 Magnum mainshafts in stock! I bought one on the spot. Part number TUFP-7308 for anyone that wants the number.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558905367_2fc46d8328_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558782036_2a0f01ae0b_b-1.jpg

Then I called around to a few other places and found a company in AZ called Amp Performance who hooked me up with a new take off tailshaft housing, reluctors, and clips to finish off my conversion. I would have preferred to buy everything through Tick Performance and be done with it, but they weren't sure if they were even going to get a mainshaft in stock before the spring. It was a lot of calling around, but glad I found it all.

Now another issue that came up is that my current car is set up for a 4th gen Camaro T56 and the T56 Magnum has a shifter that is forward 3-4". I was contemplating just buying a Magnum-F which would have been a direct replacement for my old trans, but what fun would that be haha. I found a company called Sikky who sells a cantilever style shifter that move the position 4" to the rear. After searching quick online I found a guy who had one bolted to his trans and then took it off for whatever reason. Literally like new for about half price, now that's what I call Penny Pinching! And I have to say the machine work on this shifter is outstanding. It is a shame that it will be hid under my shift boot.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558030053_47dc849149_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50558767956_7f86a5c6b4_b-1.jpg

I placed my order through Summit Racing today for what will be a complete rebuild on my motor. That will officially exhaust the proceeds from the sale of my LS1/6 speed, but I feel really good about all of the deals I was able to score. There shouldn't be too many more big purchases left to get me back up and running. Once all of these parts finish coming in I have a lot of work to do. I've never rebuilt a motor or transmission so this will be a great winter education for me.

Cheers,
Ryan

[Vimes]

Nice work on the fuel pump mod. That would be worthy of its own "how-to" thread.

[ICrombie]

Interested in seeing how you like that Sikky shifter, I'm using a TR6060 as well and was looking at using the same setup but was unsure of what offset to go with.

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks Vimes. Once I get that last little tube, I'll finish this all up and see how it works. I'm pretty confident that it will work as good, if not better than when it left Livernoise.

I'll keep the thread updated and let you know how the Sikky shifter feels. So far it seems like the throw is going to be very short from my bench shifting haha.

Made some solid progress this weekend on the engine build, and all of the parts I ordered came in. I took off the day Friday with my wife and after we spent most of the day together, she got terribly motion sick from the walk that we went on so she laid down early afternoon. I took used that opportunity along with the fantastic weather to get out the power washer and get some parts cleaned up. I only intended on using a brush kit I bought earlier in the day to clean out the oil passages in the block, but that turned into a deep clean of the whole motor. I was actually stunned by how clean the block turned out. All I used was the nylon brush from Harbor Freight engine brush kit on my drill and Purple Power. I didn't even use much pressure. Pictures speak for themselves.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50583259946_76950e5e4b_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50582519163_f79bb10b84_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50583378062_3043f2ac54_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50583377942_082f2180d1_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50582518673_0864cfda85_b-1.jpg

I pulled the oil passage plugs to get all the grime out. Not sure if I'm going to reuse these or not. I think new ones are cheap enough that I may just do that.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50582518893_b245d6cda8_b-1.jpg

I also blasted my TR6060 to get the clutch dust and grime off of it.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50583377637_c6aed4e212_b-1.jpg

Here's the brush kit along with the jaw pullers and snap ring plyers I bought for the Magnum conversion.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50583256801_a3199f764d_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50582518048_0a19c874af_b-1.jpg

Then right as I was finishing that up, the FedEx truck dropped off my ball hone. Wife was still on the couch, so I got right to work. None of them were bad at all, but I chose the "worst" cylinder and got right to work. I sprayed the ball hone with WD40 and ATF and started counting the strokes. The walls cleaned up really nicely at 15 strokes, so I repeated that for the other 7 cylinders. I was thinking it would take much more time than it did. Start to finish was about 45 mins. Very pleased with the results.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50583233876_58c4515508_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50583232946_fe3dbd9a63_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50583231306_4dd45af1ba_b-1.jpg

I still need to do a final wipe of the cylinder walls with some lint free cloths, but I did about 2-3 initial wipes and got 95% of the grit.

Now that the hone was done, I got out my bearing installer and pounded in the new bearings Saturday night. I was a little nervous as this is something that I've never done before. I'm not sure if this is the right way to do it, but this helped me and thought I'd pass it along. What I did was used a sharpie and drew on the mandrel to give me a guide. I first marked where the oil passages were on the block, and marked where the oil passage was on the bearing. Then centered the oil passages on the bearing and block but I found that it was hard to see my lines when the mandrel was in the block. So I lined up those marks, but then made a mark at the 6 o'clock position (remember the motor is upside down), so that it was pointing straight up. I could easily see it before I started to pound it in. Hopefully these pictures help explain better what I did.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50583231701_174d9d2e1c_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50583351852_c157a49e05_b-1.jpg

Another thing that is super important to remember is that for this particular bearing set there are specific locations for each bearing. They are all different and special care needs to be taken to ensure that they are in the right locations. One thing that I noticed too right out of the box was that there were burrs on all of the bearing surface edges. I wasn't comfortable with that so I took some 600 grit sandpaper and carefully deburred each of the bearings by hand. Again, not sure if this was the "proper" thing to do, but I didn't want to scuff up my new cam during the install. I took special care not to sand the actual bearing surface, just the edge so that when the cam was installed it would be a nice smooth transition.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50583254876_a4f55799e2_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50582516533_167674e408_b-1.jpg

I should also mention the order of the bearings matters too. For example, the mandrel will not fit out the bottom in the center galley's, so if you installed say position 2 and 3 with the mandrel, you could potentially get it stuck and have to press it out again to get the mandrel out.

I wiped everything down multiple times and then the moment of truth, I had to see if the cam would fit. It was a tease, but I installed my new Ghost cam to see what I had done. I was thrilled that the cam spun very freely with little effort by hand.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50583350412_93530c9617_b-1.jpg

Then the last of the parts I ordered came in. First up is the magnum tailshaft, shifter, shift rail and VSS reluctor parts. All the parts are new Magnum take off parts from when Amp was doing 4th gen tailshaft swaps. Since the Magnum-f came out, I'd imagine that finding the used Magnum tailshafts will be harder and harder to come by. I'm glad I got mine when I did.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50583261866_62ca1be0d1_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50583381977_861732f130_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50582521668_2670d97326_b-1.jpg

I had to test fit the Sikky shifter. It is just a very well built piece. From my research it should give me about a 1" setback from the original 4th gen shifter that was in my car. Time will tell though when I get it test fit.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50582516098_6f661725be_b-1.jpg

Last but not least is the LSA lid. This thing looks like it is almost new. I got a great buy on it and the guy couldn't find the sensors that he said came with it, so he bought some brand AC Delco sensor from Rock Auto and had them shipped to me.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50582519223_250a52cfbb_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50582521553_547c763cc3_b-1.jpg

I've got a friend in town who has a ring filer he's going to let me borrow, so hopefully he finds it by next weekend and I'll start fitting up the new piston rings. All for now.

Cheers,
Ryan

[Hotwire]

Great job man, keep it up!!

[csouth]

Nice rebuild you got going. Not sure if your blower has had the isolator replaced yet, but you might want to do it if it hasn't. Also reinforcing the brick is a good idea, they sometimes collapse under high boost.

[F-Body International]

Keep cranking!

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks guys! I'm really enjoying the rebuild on this motor. I like pushing myself and doing things that I've never done before.

csouth, thanks for the tips. I have a solid isolator but was thinking about keeping the brick stock for now since I'll actually be running less boost than factory for now. My stock truck balancer is 7.6" and the stock LSA balancer is 7.8", so by running the truck balancer I'll actually be spinning the upper pulley slower and making less boost. I've got to draw the line somewhere, but if scope creep continues, I'll probably get a smaller upper pulley/hub kit and send the brick out to be reinforced... I'm holding off to see what my TR6060 looks like inside. If it all looks great and I can just put it all back together, I'll do the pulley and brick. If I needs anything replaced I'll have to hold off.

[ryeguy2006a]

Public Service Announcement. If you or anyone that you love and care about are suffering from project scope creep, please seek treatment immediately. Symptoms include; lightened wallet, loss of sleep, lengthened project timelines, and the dreaded jack stand syndrome...

All joking aside, I don't have any new progress to report, but do have some new parts due to scope creep. I kept telling myself to just keep the supercharger stock, and see how it drives. Then I check out the classified ads, and find a great deal on a 2.5" smaller upper pulley for the supercharger that includes a new 8 rib belt. With all of my engine mods with the stock upper pulley I would be right on the edge of maxing out the stock 56 lb LSA injectors. Then the deal strikes again, and I found a set of 95lb injectors for a great deal...

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50640689718_12ca6e8ec3_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50641442916_40f9cc83af_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50640690158_c25206f8e2_b-1.jpg

This is the pretty amazing thing about the internet too. I put a message out that I wanted a jig to drill my cylinder head for the LSA dowel pin rather than just breaking off the dowel like most do. It seems like more of a correct solution to me. Some guy online I've never met offered to buy an LSA gasket, build a jig, sent the jig (along with a test cylinder head and milling bits) for me to drill my head. All of this and he wouldn't accept a penny. Amazing.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50640692018_bd629874ce_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50641445241_8c6b47ef39_b-1.jpg

I did a quick test fit of the head on my block and the jig will need to be modified slightly. It is prefect front to rear, but needs to be up a little higher on the head for the intake to seat properly. Talking maybe 1/16" He said that the head is junk and he didn't want it back, which works out perfectly for me since I was looking for a few junk heads to practice some port cleanup on. :cool:

My buddy had a junk Civic head that he was going to scrap, so I got that from him too.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50641523172_ecddc74cf7_b-1.jpg

Since I couldn't find anyone local to me with a piston ring filer, I just bought one. I'm sure this won't be the last engine I build. I'm planning on gapping the rings to .024 upper and .026 lower, which is according to Mahle's instructions for a supercharged application. Plenty of stock LS3 guys are running factory ring gaps around .016, so I'm comfortable with the margins that I'll have when I open mine up slightly.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50640691778_4a66076a98_b-1.jpg

Cheers,
Ryan

[srode]

After a busy week of carefully removing all of the engine components it was time to get that LS1 out of there. I pulled the motor and trans together, but not after a little drama. I was going to meet the potential buyer Sunday morning, so I had prepped the car all week here and there to be able to pull the motor Friday night after my boys went to sleep. That way I'd have plenty of time and wouldn't need to rush since I do not want to repaint anything! Well my engine hoist had other plans...

I started trying to jack up the motor and it was leaking internally. Then I noticed this and by that time all the stores that had a new jack were all closed.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50505563967_40d45c7255_b-1.jpg

I ran to the trusty Harbor Freight Saturday morning and was able to get the new ram swapped in just a few minutes. Then take two for Saturday afternoon and the motor came out pretty uneventful. My older son even "helped" me. I liked having him out there as we was taking tools out of my toolbox and stacking/organizing them on the floor in his own way.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50505561437_045c5f6c05_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50504689548_27a008135a_b-1.jpg

It's so oily because I had to swap oil pans. I kept the Holley 302-3.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50505400356_710257f9a8_b-1.jpg

Now I have this strange empty feeling inside...

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50505400536_867e9213f3_b-1.jpg

And looking toward the future, I've decided to change directions slightly and sold the FAST 102. I'm not in the process of collecting parts to add some boost in the way of an LSA supercharger. I'm currently hunting for parts, so if you happen to have a supercharger and lid on the shelf and want it to go to a good home, shoot me a PM.

I picked up this Livernoise Firestorm fuel pump assembly for a killer price, but will need to fix the fuel hat. I think I have a clever solution for that, I'll check in soon. Livernoise says it will support 800HP, so it will support way more than I'll need.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50505418836_14f8036e13_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50505581837_1943f454a8_b-1.jpg

Dual 255 LPH pumps

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50504689943_614e4f7f97_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50505563527_97e78f5f11_b-1.jpg

I kept having my fuel tank leaking and ended up pulling the trigger on the Rick's Resto-Mod tank. It will give me room to grow if/when I do a mini-tub, corner pickups, and larger fuel capacity. That's what happens when you have too much to drink working out in the garage I guess haha. I have to say that I'm super impressed with the quality and the construction. Even though the 5th gen pumps don't need it they added some internal baffling, which will help with hard accel or decel.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50504732813_6a1ec95bd0_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50505444796_56c43f9137_b-1.jpg

Corner pickups

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50504706628_6a934104da_b-1.jpg

Internal baffling.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/10/50504704853_bccbe974d5_b-1.jpg

All for now, but I'll be adding parts as I now need a transmission, intake and everything else to get this back together.

Cheers,
Ryan

How many gallons is the tank?

[ryeguy2006a]

Srode, I'm pretty sure it's 18 or 19 gallon.

I made a little progress over the long weekend. I got out on Friday night to get some work done. I decided to clean up and test fit the new main bearings that I have to see if I need either need tighter bearings or possibly sending the crank out for machine work. I started by cleaning up the main caps. There was a layer of gunk on the caps that took a long time to clean up. Purple power really helped, but it was pretty nasty work. There was also sludge on the bolts that I had to get cleaned off.

They cleaned up nicely though.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50664041773_cf37e44ed6_b-1.jpg

Here is my big box from Summit racing with everything to get this motor back together including tools, sensors, bolts gaskets.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50664865052_5d6c7e6274_b-1.jpg

While reading some reviews on the Summit brand main/rod bearings I noticed that people were claiming that they were made by King. After unboxing the mains, here is the stamp on the bearing I pulled out. Has the King bearing stamp. :cool:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50664863862_6495625f96_b-1.jpg

Went through and installed the top bearings on all the journals being sure to clean everything as I went.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50664042363_cd3d8c1a15_b-1.jpg

One of the tools that I bought that is needed for the job is a torque angle gauge. Since the mains and rods both require an initial torque value followed by an angle, this gauge is necessary. Took a few tries to figure it out, but it worked great after I got the hang of it.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50664783116_a50d2bf431_b-1.jpg

I put a short piece of plastigauge on all the crank journals and proceeded to torque all 5 main caps.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50664782141_0a6ded49c0_b-1.jpg

Then removed them one by one and checked bearing clearances. I am happy to report that they are all right within specs. The rule of thumb for stock motors is .00075-.001 per 1" of journal. All LS motors gen3/4 have a 2.100", which would mean the range is .001575 - 0.0021. Mine all measured according to the plastigauge between .0015-.002. I'm a happy camper. I took the picture next to the wrong size, but 1-4 caps measured right at .0015 and the 5th measured at .002. I'm not going to overthink it since they are all within specs. keep in mind that plastigauge has a +/-.0005 margin, but even with that I'm in the right zone.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/11/50664039808_eea8e21f83_b-1.jpg

I called it a night after the bearings all checked out. I want to get the rods all checked next, then once they all check out I can file fit the top and second rings. I'm going to follow with the instructions I found online from Mahle and file them to .024 top and .028 second ring.

I've also heard people mention that higher mileage motors are "pre-gapped" for boost. While that may be true they are enlarged, I thought I would measure mine just to get an understanding of how true this is. My motor had just shy of 200k miles before I disassembled it. I pulled the top ring off of my motor and it measured at .020 and from everything I gather the stock rings were gapped at .016. So take that for what it is, but there is a little truth to that notion. I want to check the second ring and a few of the other pistons to see if they are consistent.

Thanks,
Ryan

[andrewb70]

Great update. You're doing an excellent job!

[Vimes]

Then removed them one by one and checked bearing clearances.

I REALLY hate to bring this up, but... do the instructions say your main bearing bolts are reusable? If not, hopefully you used the old bolts for the plastigauge test, otherwise you might need a new set.

https://www.underhoodservice.com/gm-torque-yield-tty-fastener-use-reuse/

[ryeguy2006a]

Hi Vimes, Thanks for the message. I'd have to look it up again, but somewhere in the GM service manual it states that the main and rod bolts are TTA(torque to angle), not TTY(torque to yield). They are torqued the same way, but the TTA are reusable, and the TTY are not.

[Vimes]

Cool. I'd hate for your engine to come apart because of a plasti-gauging.

[ryeguy2006a]

I'd hate for that to happen too!

[csouth]

Nice progress! What cam are you going to run?

[ryeguy2006a]

Hey Chris, I'm going to be running the Summit 8715 Ghost Cam. Specs are 222/233 115+3, .600/.575. It's a little on the small side, but I've heard that it's easier to tune and has negative overlap to keep the boost in the cylinders.

[Bugzilla]

That is a small cam but will play nice with the blower for sure. You should at least get a bit of rumble at idle. Your new setup is going to blow your mind compared to what you have now. Its well worth the money spent.

[ryeguy2006a]

I'm really excited to see how this compares with the mild LS1 I had. I'm pretty sure it's going to be night and day. Plus I went with some PAC .660 springs, so if the cam isn't what I want I have room to grow with a bigger cam. I've watched several idle videos and the Ghost cam has a nice idle. TBH, I'd go for a cam with a more aggressive idle, but my family will ride in it frequently and I don't want something wild. I actually want them to ride in it with me haha.

[Hotwire]

I'm running a 220/224 .575" 112 LSA in my LQ4 and love it. It has power everywhere.

[ryeguy2006a]

I haven't gotten any work done on the car lately as my wife and I have been busy finishing off our basement. What better thing to do together when we are stuck in the house haha. It has been a fun project and something that we have gotten to do together which is nice. The main thing was to create a space that was safe for the boys to run around and be rough because that's what boys do haha. Before the little guy kept slipping and that wasn't any fun.

This is what it looked like when we started.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/12/50722896937_f49a195f35_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/12/50722070958_1c1c6abdf9_b-1.jpg

I hung all of the drywall my myself which was a fun and interesting experience. I had a contractor friend come in and tape/mud it after it was hung. I usually prefer to do it all myself since I really don't like paying other people to do something I know I can do. In this case, he knocked it out in just a few days. It would have taken me probably a month to do what he did in a few short days. In this case, well worth the price we paid him. We had just finished painting and prepping it for carpet for the first picture. The carpet was installed yesterday and it turned out really nice. To be honest it was actually nicer than I had expected. Really happy with how it turned out.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/12/50722890157_51ea9de95a_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/12/50722064123_5948ee955c_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/12/50722796771_198266b385_b-1.jpg

Now that I'm done with my part of the project it's time to jump back on my engine rebuild. My wife bought several little things like a toy box and book shelf to keep it all organized down there.

It's not a major update, but I finally tracked down a great price on a set of fuel rails. Pretty stoked about this deal, the retail on the Fore LSA fuel rails is ~$600, plus $160 worth of AN fittings and the guy sold them all to me for $200 bucks! If I play my cards right, maybe I can sell the fittings I won't use and get close to getting them for free! The same guy gave me an incredible deal on an 8 rib tensioner, brackets, idlers and idler bracket. So good that I'm going to just upgrade to the 3 belt setup.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/12/50722805231_84bf42e7e7_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/12/50722070773_34516edd9a_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/12/50722065163_2c5087d861_b-1.jpg

Tensioner bracket

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/12/50722062593_03653224cc_b-1.jpg

The last piece that I needed to finish my fuel pump was a new corrugated fuel line and these Oetiker clamps. I grabbed a kit with SS clamps on Amazon.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/12/50722887107_77424247c2_b-1.jpg

Hoping to make some good progress between now and the New Year!

Thanks,
Ryan

[ryeguy2006a]

Happy new year to all! I'm stoked to finally have an update that isn't just about buying parts or home repairs. My goal over the holiday break from work was to get the short block fully assembled, so I'll start from the beginning.

I left off last month by confirming with the Plastigauge that my bearing clearances were within specs for the motor. Next up was to confirm that after the crankshaft main caps were torqued, that thrust checked out. That required a dial indicator and measuring the forward to rear movement of the crank. I had my inspector there to make sure I was doing it correctly.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50771911761_85c90fa278_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50771917371_f808c8b097_b-1.jpg

LS motors require a .004 - .008 clearance to be within specs. Thankfully mine came out around .005, so I'm on the tighter side but within the specs. Must be the angle I took the picture, but it was .005. The picture makes it look more like .0035, but for those concerned, it was measured correctly.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50771171293_4c8027956e_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50771165828_dd5c71a77d_b-1.jpg

Moving on was getting the pistons/rods ready to assemble. Step one was to get them cleaned up. There was a ton of carbon built up that needed to go. Especially in the ring grooves. Spent several hours cleaning them all up.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50771921936_789be9b992_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50771910301_eaa92cca22_b-1.jpg

After they were cleaned up, I installed them all without rings to check the new bearing clearances. Thankfully they all checked out to be right within the specs using plastigauge, and I could move on. I noted all the measurements on the tape line. I should also mention that the Summit rod bearings I bought were also King brand just like the main bearings.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50772026962_f1d4fcacee_b-1.jpg

Since I'm going to be running boost, I decided to open up the ring gaps on the top and second rings. After a ton of research seeing what others have done, I decided to just stick with what Mahle recommended for their rings. Using their calculation for supercharged applications, I came up with .024 top and .026 second rings. I bought a ring filer and decided to do it myself. Here's a tip that I used for measuring the ring gaps. I put an old ring on a piston so that when you install the ring in the bore it puts it at a consistent spot each time.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50771165098_b9aeefbce1_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50771911251_3eabd96dfc_b-1.jpg

I ordered a ProForm ring filer and it worked perfectly. I liked that method doing it the first time because it allows you to take a very small amount off at a time. The initial measurements were .019 gaps, and it took around 40-50 rotations to increase the gap to .024 for the top rings.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50772026787_76f8b1b22c_b-1.jpg

Once the rings were all gapped and organized, I hung them on the pistons and installed them in the motor. I found this nice diagram from Mahle on their instruction page to set up the piston rings. I set it up just like this on all of the pistons.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50771910596_4796d68964_b-1.jpg

Halfway there

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50771164043_67d19c9f28_b-1.jpg

And we have a short block.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50771910901_c7954c34eb_b-1.jpg

To be continued...

[ryeguy2006a]

With this last batch of parts, I'm hopefully very close to being at the end of my purchasing... I have sold a bunch of parts to offset these purchases as well as gotten some fantastic deals from people all over the internet. After mulling over what engine accessories to get, I opted to start searching for the stock LSA accessories. I found a guy who sold me the balancer, brand new water pump and a power steering pump for a smoking deal. Then the same guy who I bought the fuel rails from, also sold me the idler bracket. So with the exception of an alternator bracket, I have the complete engine accessories that will give me a true 3 belt setup for the supercharger to run on it's own belt. Much less of a chance for the belt to slip with this setup.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50772042247_b767fed71d_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50771180828_863e7a8a59_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50771930846_4714ac3031_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50772051472_683a05b287_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50771932386_59723310bd_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50771189588_97c4509cf3_b-1.jpg

Now, back to the shortblock build. Not sure if it will help or not, but many people say that the Sacc City barbell upgrade is worth it and while I had it this far apart, I figured why not. Supposed to help with oil pressure and filtration.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50801279252_5a2d6cffe8_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50801289917_17415389df_b-1.jpg

Now before the final torque, I got a bunch of mixed feedback online about whether or not the factory rod bolts are re-usable. I opted to just replace them rather than chance it. I would have opted for ARP bolts, but they change the clamping load and would require that I machine them, and I didn't want to open another can of worms. People have made crazy 1000+ HP numbers on the factory rod bolts, so I'm sure I'll be fine. The factory rod bolts have a bushing that keeps them installed into the cap so they won't come out easily. I opted to finish a project I have been putting off. Adding a pair of vice grips to my slid hammer.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50801276872_c13f0183eb_b-1.jpg

5/16-18 Tap for those who are interested.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50801164216_908ee1b11b_b-1.jpg

I kept one side of the rod cap tight and then clamped on the other side. A quick little tap with the slide hammer and they popped right out.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50800429408_6db80d3ee1_b-1.jpg

Once I got the final approval from the boss, the shortblock was final assembled and torque'd to spec. A torque angle dial is required for that, which I have earlier in the build.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50800429893_df68645092_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50801173506_5aac0f97b7_b-1.jpg

To be continued...

[ryeguy2006a]

The shortblock is now together and ready for the rest of the bolt ons. Please note that I assembled things out of order, so I had to pull the oil pump back off to get the chain damper installed. I'm going to post the pictures in the order that I took them, but wanted to make note for anyone assembling a motor that the chain, timing gear and damper need to go on before the oil pump.

This is the more fun part of the engine building process for me. Bolting on the parts as I unbox them. Much better than cleaning up used parts before they are installed. I thought I would share that I bought the Summit Racing oil pump and it turns out that they are re-boxing Melling pumps. M295

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50801160301_e43d523af1_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50801160016_316eefe74d_b-1.jpg

Next up was cleaning up the Holley 302-3 oil pan, windage tray, internal baffle and oil pickup. Now that the shortblock is assembled, I wanted to get it buttoned up to keep any debris out of it. Too much time spent cleaning to mess it up now.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50801276792_692178da15_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50801159781_a1c0ab0e0c_b-1.jpg

Most of this had to be taken back off to get the damper on.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50800415478_e65785b3f1_b-1.jpg

I was probably distracted since I was really looking forward to installing the cam! I went with the Summit Racing 8715 which is the stage 1 boost cam that is nicknamed the Ghost Cam. The specs are 222/233 115+3, .600/.575. I've heard really good things about this cam, and one of the things that sold me is that it has a negative overlap which will keep the boost inside the cylinders rather than bleeding off. I also didn't want to go crazy with a huge cam since this will be on a supercharged motor. Should have a nice idle too.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50801132181_0c112895d0_b-1.jpg

This is where I noticed that the damper wouldn't fit. I didn't care though, I had to toss my heads on to see what the long block looked like. Very happy I'm at this point, but the appearance of the block leaves a lot to be desired.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50800389343_c38c7a3be8_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50801162801_c0d1db9cfe_b-1.jpg

Next morning I pulled the pump and pickup back off and installed the chain damper with some blue Loctite. Repeated the process with the cam plate and cam sprocket. All back together now.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50800386043_083917a0e3_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50801245762_d9d918b703_b-1.jpg

But that block was really bugging me. I had power washed it several times and hit it with Purple Power a bunch and it wasn't cleaning up like I hoped. So it was time to get out the soap and water and scrub it down for paint. I had my little helper buddy out there scrubbing on the block too which was really cool. Didn't get a picture though...

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50801129131_25cdb0e7fe_b-1.jpg

Since it was so cold out, I had to make a little spray booth in the garage to minimize the overspray. It worked really well in conjunction with cracking the garage door and opening a window. It sorta worked like a downdraft booth since the cold air came in through the window and out the garage door.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50800385583_4e837f5c4c_b-1.jpg

I read up on this a bunch and decided to try some Self Etching primer as a base rather than the VHT primer. Aluminum is different than steel and needs a better base to really stick. So I figured I'd give this a try.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50801245157_66d5e6a231_b-1.jpg

Finally the color coats. I went with the tried and true Chevy Orange. I really liked it when I put my first motor in the car with the 5.3, and wanted to do it again. Very happy with the results and hopefully with the etching primer it has a really durable finish. I also have my boiler room attached to my garage which is a very tiny room that I use for storing car parts, but when the door is closed will get very hot, probably in the 130-140 range and thought this would be perfect to let the motor dry in overnight. Hopefully it helps with the curing process.

So much better than the corroded aluminum look!!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50801244812_b5659a33ae_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50801212412_794073111a_b-1.jpg

Timing cover wasn't ready for paint and sorta takes away from it, but it looks really good with the aluminum heads. I'm keeping this look, but all of my accessories will be painted satin black. I think it will give a nice throwback look.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50800353323_6d4f76cab4_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50800352273_0eec083973_b-1.jpg

That's where I'm at now, and very happy to have gotten the block assembled during the winter break from work. Now I can slowly clean up parts and hopefully get the motor installed back in the car soon.

Cheers,
Ryan

[andrewb70]

Good looking engine!

Andrew

[Hotwire]

Aww man, should have tried the aluminum brightener before you painted it. It wouldn't have gotten rid of the corrosion but it would have woke up the look a lot.

If you don't want to waste time smoothing all the brackets and timing cover down, try rustoleum hammered paint in the fancy grip cans (lowe's/home depot carry them). I ran hammered silver on my current LQ4 and am really happy with the results, covers blemishes nicely.

This is rustoleum hammered silver (tins), duplicolor chevy orange DE-1620 (block), and rustoleum satin black paint/primer in one spray bomb (fasteners and crank pulley) - running links so I don't blemish your thread: https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/yy69/Hotwire454/Project%20Salty/.highres/0831172221b_zpsd2ckpa6u.jpg?width=450&height=278&fit=bounds&crop=fill

I'm running an Elgin E1839P cam in my 6.0. It's 220/224 .575" 112 LSA, little smaller than yours, but you'll be getting plenty of attitude at idle. I'm just about a bobble head at traffic lights idling at 750rpm. (stupid video of idle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU9QXOG1E4A )

If you're programming the car set the idle timing flat, if not the ecm will be bouncing idle timing around and the cam will sound like it's 20 times larger than it actually is, makes it hard to get a steady idle coming to a stop.

Keep up the action, can't wait to see it rolling!

[csouth]

Nice progress!

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks guys, I appreciate it.

Hotwire, your motor looks great! I really wanted to paint the block orange, so I wasn't too concerned about cleaning up the aluminum.

[ryeguy2006a]

I'm continuing the engine build by getting my heads ready for install. I had originally planned on doing a light port work and bowl cleanup on the heads, but realized that with boost, I think it's really less important than before when I was planning an N/A build. Plus I kinda chickened out haha. The heads are low mileage LS3 0821 heads, and the plan is to clean them up and reinstall. First up is to clean up all of the carbon build up off of the intake valves. It was pretty caked on there. I was actually surprised based on the overall condition of the heads. I didn't think there would be as much build up as there was.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50826034921_9fde4de8ef_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50825287178_287a12f4bd_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50826128467_bf009f41d1_b-1.jpg

Here's a few before and after. Pretty gummed up. Really glad that I pulled the valves and didn't just swap over the springs.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50825281288_bbd3d7d47c_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50825234776_004da0738b_b-1.jpg

By no means is it perfect, but did a few rounds of Purple Power and it cleaned about 90% of the gunk out of the runners. I know that it will not stay clean inside so I didn't spend too much time there. Really mostly concerned with the outside cleanup. Overall they heads are in excellent condition.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50825286763_802d07aa3a_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50825350587_41dcc9dfcd_b-1.jpg

Once the accessories are installed no one will see this, but I like the detail work.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50825350387_b7254973cb_b-1.jpg

I was doing some research and settled on the heat exchanger circulation pump. Being the budget conscious person I am, I was trying to find an alternative to the the Varimax pump that seems to be the go to pump for most LSA swaps. What I found is a comparison of a bunch of pumps and found that the Pierburg CWA50 pump that is found on several OEM cars (mine came from an X5 BMW 4.4 Turbo) and performs as good as the Varimax pump, but I picked mine up for $60 rather than $450. Plus mine came with a mounting bracket and a harness. I was also shocked by the size of it. It's roughly the height of a beer can, and maybe twice the diameter. It's also supposed to be nearly silent, which is a win.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50825286708_5e1032205a_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50826125992_b5091cb529_b-1.jpg

Next up is disassembling the rockers and getting them cleaned up for install. I bit the bullet and bought the CHE bronze Trunnion upgrade. They are supposed to be the best upgrade for the stock rockers other than going to a full on shaft rocker. What really sold me is that they don't require the bronze to be pressed in, but rather a free floating design that allows for the bushing to float and have oiling grooves for a smoother movement. Hope to have my rockers all disassembled and clean for when the show up. Then I can measure for my pushrods and button up the motor. :lol:

I'm really looking forward to tearing into the TR6060 to swap to the Magnum tailshaft. Should be interesting as it's something I've never done before.

Cheers,
Ryan

[ryeguy2006a]

Well at the moment, I'm waiting on a valve spring compressor to continue on with my engine build so I've decided to take another step forward, but in a different direction. I've been doing a lot of reading and finally feel that it's time to attempt the transmission. I'm starting with a low mileage LS3 TR6060 out of a 2010 Camaro. After searching online, reading other write-ups, calling sponsors and talking to friends who have build transmissions, I'm ready to attempt the T56 Magnum Tailshaft conversion. At a high level this involves disassembling the transmission down enough to remove the mainshaft, remove everything from the 5th gen mainshaft, swap it all back onto the T56 Magnum mainshaft, then reinstall using the new T56 Magnum extension housing. I took about 100 different photos on just the disassembly, but I'll just post a few to give you an idea what all is involved.

Here's what I started with:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50859600153_9d00636a1d_b-1.jpg

Removed the tailshaft housing first. Then I test fit the new housing to get a ballpark of where the shifter will land.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50859092723_c3738204d6_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50858995373_36397afbaa_b-1.jpg

Every bit of information I could find online about the T56 Magnum shows that the rear shifter location is 26.6" from the bellhousing and the Magnum-F is 29.4". My car was set up for a 4th Gen T56 which is set up to be a drop in for the Magnum-F, so I had originally assumed that I would need to use one of the Sikky setback shifters. Now what is very interesting to me is that the TR6060 with magnum Tail shaft housing measures out to 28" on the dot, with an overall length of roughly 35.25". That means that with the stock Magnum shifter that I should be only about 1.4" forward of my old shifter location. Maybe someone who builds these transmissions can chime in, but I'm assuming that this has something to do with the larger bellhousing for dual friction clutches and the built in cooler pump.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50859807242_2ae68850b3_b-1.jpg

Now the real disassembly starts. I made sure to clean off my bench really well and took the advice of those that have done this before and laid everything out in a line as I remove it.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50858983813_63ac6770af_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50858991938_cd83a60184_b-1.jpg

Now, I didn't have the special long jaw puller tool that is necessary for this job, but I got creative and build some extensions to my 8" jaw puller. Worked like a champ.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50859699591_b8024644a0_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50859700651_54f69a0b20_b-1.jpg

More to come...

[JMG-63]

Ryan,

I admire your attention to detail and methodical approach. I've been reluctant to tear into my LS or T56 but you make it look easy.

Great build, lots of good info - keep it coming as I'm learning a lot watching this come together.

Jeff

[Motown 454]

The motor looks great, nice job. It looks like you have this all figured out, I'm looking forward to seeing you put it back together. Do you have to check the tolerances or will they be the same on the new main shaft?

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks guys, it may look easy but is far from it. I'm learning as I go, just doing a lot of reading and trying to ask questions. Not sure if I can mention the name here since I don't believe they are a sponsor, but a particular company I've called for tech support has been very helpful whenever I've called them.

The tolerances do need to be checked, but from what I understand most parts are guided by the snap rings and they can only really go in a certain spot. I believe the biggest one I need to check is the overall mainshaft end play when I get the case bolted back together.

Once I pulled a blocker ring and a gear off the countershaft, the rest of the gears slid right off. I made sure to keep track of everything and take a bunch of pictures with every piece I removed. Here is right before the maincase was removed.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50859715703_3235ef137c_b-1.jpg

After all the detents and guide pins were removed I could pull off the main case.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50860524467_cdde5e1c6c_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50859712798_0a2b351a91_b-1.jpg

Now I had access to the mainshaft to further disassemble.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50860409986_a29bd79a44_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50860507842_e07929c19e_b-1.jpg

I ended up buying a bearing puller kit from Harbor Freight and while it did the job, wasn't overly impressed with the quality. The chromed bearing separators themselves were nice quality, but the rest of the kit left a lot to be desired. The three jaw puller probably would have worked, but there wasn't much to grab onto with this smaller gear. I didn't want to risk chipping one of the teeth.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50859694868_397d670492_b-1.jpg

I took my time and slowly removed and documented everything. Then It came down to removing the front main bearing. I tried the smaller bearing separator, and ended up bending the cage. That lead to the rollers falling out. This was the only thing that was damaged during the disassembly process and I'm thrilled because that little bearing is only $20.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50860497872_4e2e7b46e3_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50860475672_1d294bd407_b-1.jpg

Here is the table with everything disassembled and in the order it was removed.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50860397281_37d72ff036_b-1.jpg

The Camaro TR6060 mainshaft is on top, and the new T56 Magnum shaft is on the bottom. You can see on the end of the Camaro shaft where the splines are and how it tapers down quite a bit. That is where guys break the transmissions when they put down more power than stock.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50860284111_6a9463c340_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50860250731_fb5cedbbc8_b-1.jpg

The trans at this point is completely disassembled and I wanted to take assessment of what parts I may need to order. All of the syncros look great with minimal wear as to be expected with a low mileage transmission. All the gears have nicely pointed teeth with no damage as well as the blocker rings and syncro assemblies. I then started looking at the tailshaft and realized there is one bearing and one bearing race installed. I was able to remove the top bearing race pretty easily, but the lower rear counter shaft bearing didn't budge. So I decided to replace it since it was also pretty inexpensive.

Out with the old:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50860476017_113691c4db_b-1.jpg

In with the new:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50860280746_fb9c377dca_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50860251286_f638642284_b-1.jpg

It felt good to start reinstalling some parts, but that is as far as I want to go at this point until I get the new front mainshaft bearing. I want to have that installed so that I can test fit each gear as I go to ensure that I have the proper alignment. I ended up ordering the front main shaft bearing, rear countershaft bearing and a Tick speed bleeder. I'm hoping that it shows up sometime Saturday so that I can get the transmission back together soon.

I received what will hopefully be the one of the last engine parts before I can get it all back together. I splurged a little since it was my birthday a few weeks ago and went with the CHE Trunnion kit. Very impressed with the full floating design as well as the overall presentation. I can't think of any other part that I've opened where I was this impressed.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50859912412_904517881d_b-1.jpg

I'm not sure if I really "needed" the trunnion upgrade, but the motor had almost 200k on it, so I figured it was a good insurance policy. I also received a cheapy valve spring compressor that I bought from Amazon so now I have everything I need to measure for pushrods.

Cheers,
Ryan

[qnitro]

love watching your ingenuity, great to watch the progress..

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks man. I'm learning a lot about how transmissions work!

I'm at a stand still with the transmission at the moment waiting for the front mainshaft bearing and rear countershaft bearing, so I started turning my attention to the engine again. After the first spring compressor I bought on Amazon turned out to be a scam, I ordered a second one from a different vendor which showed up this time. My first reaction was, "Wow this is bad it's not even close to lining up!" It took me a few minutes, but then I realized that they installed the bolt going the wrong direction. After I got that swapped around it did a great job with my PAC dual springs.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50873927578_4c36be213a_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50873926363_c0cbbbf5ff_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50874735947_27fbbc2c93_b-1.jpg

Another project I was working on was finalizing the jig in order to drill my head for the LSA dowel pin. I didn't like the idea of breaking off the dowel pin like most do, so I opted to figure out a way to drill it myself. Several months ago for a Lingenfelter jig, but they are unavailable. Someone responded to my ad on an LSA Facebook group and said he could build a jig. His was based on a template off of a gasket, so it needed some fine tuning, but once I got it centered, it fit perfectly. I had an old truck LS head that I used to get the centering just right, then did the final drill on my 821's. Came out perfectly.

Took several attempts to get it centered.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50874633226_49a9e13cc2_b-1.jpg

Once I was happy, I fully welded them together.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50873923023_81c5da992b_b-1.jpg

Here's the final fitment with the truck head.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50874631741_f120db812f_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50873921563_59ce7ddd7b_b-1.jpg

Then onto my 821's.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50874627991_8696930c32_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50873920108_155d9afdce_b-1.jpg

Much better!!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50873917558_bc7f44406a_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/01/50873917308_4733e1c19f_b-1.jpg

My bearing showed up last night from Tick, so I'm hoping to get the transmission back together by the weekend to start mocking up for my driveshaft.

Cheers,
Ryan

[David Sloan]

Looking good !
i'm in for updates

[ryeguy2006a]

I've been slowly making progress with this transmission rebuild. I've had a few hang up's that I'll get into into later. I've also had a few parts that I bought a while ago slowly trickle in. Other than a driveshaft and a few other small parts I'm pretty sure that I have everything I need to get this motor back in the car.

Unlike with my LS1 accessories, there wasn't an easy OEM hose that I could find to use with the CTSV power steering pump. I found a fitting from TurnOne that would optimize the pressure and flow for the CTSV pump to my JGC steering box as well as convert over to -6AN lines. I then got Russel fittings and hose to make my own line.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50908694067_07408d61a6_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50908668797_4415a00b6b_b-1.jpg

What's nice is that they extended the fitting so that it sits outside of the pulley. That way you can easily tighten it.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50907832933_f67179493d_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50908659532_79aa983405_b-1.jpg

Also got a bunch of fittings, hardware, brackets and some wiring from ICT. Low mount Corvette spaced alternator bracket to finish my swap.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50908535091_1efcc20151_b-1.jpg

LS3 starter since the TR6060 requires a small snout starter. Low mileage takeoff that I found on eBay from a dismantler.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50907841943_ecbc5257ed_b-1.jpg

The CWA50 pump that I bought from a 4.4 BMW had one of those quick connect fittings on it for the inlet, and I couldn't find any good info out there on it. I took a chance on a fitting I found on RockAuto and it was an exact fit. It is a heater hose from a VW.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50908560231_96c3315577_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50908691192_6f2967bcf5_b-1.jpg

I also bought a bunch of misc. parts from RockAuto when I made the order.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50907865418_100750ce03_b-1.jpg

Bearings from Tick along with their Speed Bleeder. Also the AFCO hose in the picture with the TurnOne fitting is my clutch line.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50907875448_66c9773db3_b-1.jpg

I had a leak in my rear pinion, so I decided that since I was upgrading the whole drivetrain, I might as well swap out the stock 1310 12 bolt yoke for a forged 1350 unit from Inland Empire. I needed to get a new 31 spline slip yoke for the Magnum, so I opted for the Sonnax forged 1350 unit. Both are really nice pieces and will be needed to measure for a driveshaft when the time comes.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50907833143_7e1829f3ac_b-1.jpg

And last up for the parts update. I found a guy selling all of these parts, super low mileage BTR push rods, 100mm DSX idler (gives better belt wrap) and a few various belts. I got all of these parts for less than a new set of brand new pushrods. I still need to measure for length, but given that everything I'm using is stock, I'm confident that they will be 7.400 length.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50908537381_368d2d1cbf_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50907840118_2fb844ec02_b-1.jpg

To be continued...

[ryeguy2006a]

Once I received the #11 bearing from Tick, I was able to get it pressed on and started the reassembly process. It went pretty smoothly during the install, until I got to the part where I needed to press back on 5th and 6th gears.

Here's where I started back with my assembly. I made sure to inspect and carefully reinstall all of the syncros into the blocker ring assembly. It is also important to lubricate the parts with trans fluid as you install. Don't forget about the bearings too.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50908702262_d944de75cc_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50908570781_66cc6beb39_b-1.jpg

Moving on and almost ready to test fit the main case. Up to this point everything slid together and retained with large clips. Next up was to re-install the main bearing, 6th and 5th gear. It's also worth noting that I did need to disassemble part of it at this point because the shift rail for 3/4 needed to be installed still.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50908697562_5996fcc461_b-1.jpg

Here is what I came up with to install the bearing and gears. I found it online somewhere and it worked well for the first bearing, but I later found out that because the assembly was not 100% square, it was causing me to strip threads on the rod that I bought. I think also in part, it was the composition of the rod that I bought. I didn't realize it at the time, but the rod was a low strength carbon steel rod. I should have opted for a high strength 10.9 or 12.9 unit from McMaster Carr, or others. And for anyone that may be attempting this, the thread size for the T56 Magnum shaft (as well as most Tremec transmissions including standard T56) is M12 x 1.75.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50907869438_140a9ab1c4_b-1.jpg

After struggling for several days, I was able to get the 6th gear pressed on so that I could get the main case bolted together. I also made sure to put liquid Teflon around the guide pins, shift detents, and reverse light.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50908535176_9dee22c510_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50907836918_47577f95fb_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50907835993_862a1bc3bf_b-1.jpg

After a bunch of cussing and thoughts about it, I decided to try another way. I removed the 2" cap that I had drilled and in its place I used a 1/2" steel plate that I had with a small hole in it. I also put the pipe piece I had directly on the gear and against the flat steel. This gave me a much straighter pull and it almost effortlessly allowed me to press the gear on. I regret not taking a step back to re-evaluate how I was doing it. Would have saved a lot of aggravation.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50922682812_7e40f9e74d_b-1.jpg

Once that gear was back in it's home, the rest of the parts slid right into place.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50922549106_f60ea6be98_b-1.jpg

Here is the final trans back together. I'd be lying if I didn't row through the gears for at least 10 minutes. I still need to get or make a plate for the mid-shifter location, but otherwise it's ready for install. Those 2x4 pieces that I have are for to space the bellhousing off the floor/workbench so that the input shaft doesn't have pressure on it.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50922549511_fccb1310df_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50922549726_875da4f657_b-1.jpg

I also received my LS3 valley cover which will make for a much cleaner PCV install. I found a good deal on a new crate motor take off on eBay that came with bolts and a new gasket.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50923018172_66ddc8c2ca_b-1.jpg

Next up is to get everything on the motor bolted together so that I can get the longblock ready for install. I'm planning on installing the motor/trans bolted together as one unit and hopefully only one time. Since I'm really replacing an LS motor for an LS motor and Tremec transmissions that have very similar external dimensions, I'm hoping for no surprises. The biggest question mark for me is going to be the shifter location. If my measurements are correct, it should only be 1.5" farther ahead than my old Fbody T56.

I'm getting so excited to get the motor back together and hear it run.

Cheers,
Ryan

[Hotwire]

Man good job on the trans build. I've wanted to get into mine but have yet to do so. Glad I'm not the only one that records my bad decisions with a salute pic. :cheers:

The tick speed bleeder is a great piece, love mine. If you want to make bleeding your brakes or clutch the easiest thing you've ever done, get a Motive Products power bleeder and fittings for your master cylinders. One man job, I got tired of hearing my wemmens bitch when I asked for a pedal pusher, that power bleeder is a simple but super useful thing to have around. Basically a remastered pressure sprayer that you use to pressurize clutch/brake/etc then you can walk around and crack bleeders, it'll push all the air out of the lines.

[FormTA]

Great update Ryan! You sure make it look easy!

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks Luke!

Doesn't visually look like I've gotten much accomplished, but the short block has been completely buttoned up. I only had the timing and rear covers on to keep dust and dirt out.

I started out back and got the rear cover aligned with the pan and torqued down. Followed that up with the correct "big bearing" to properly match the TR6060 input shaft.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50947523287_c0343d00b6_b-1.jpg

Next up was the front cover. I still needed to align the oil pump before I could get it final torqued. I used the .002 shims and it centered up very nicely. I oiled everything up with assembly lube, torqued and then installed the timing cover loosely.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50947522107_7529e81c2a_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50946721068_36776c03f8_b-1.jpg

Now I'm really starting to get excited about this project. I'm on the downhill side and starting to bolt on new (or new to me) parts. I grabbed my stock LSA balancer and installed it on the crank. I made sure to lubricate the hub so that it didn't tear the new seal. I have a crank pinning kit on the way and once that is here I'll add a few pins to make sure that the crank doesn't spin.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50946720593_f827278a4c_b-1.jpg

I'm sure there are other ways to accomplish this, but I used the transmission to help align my oil pan. I cleaned up the sealing surface and put a dab of silicone on the 4 corners where the front and rear covers meet the oil pan gasket. I snugged the oil pan to transmission and then torqued the pan.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50949677542_b99598a46c_b-1.jpg

While the transmission was attached, I test fit my starter. I had to get another starter because the TR6060 uses the smaller size.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50949677817_0a423b8d43_b-1.jpg

Reinstalled my Holley mounts and now it's ready for the heads and valvetrain.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50948870553_cc702f6c5e_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50949674577_e15bdd4855_b-1.jpg

My 18MO shop buddy helped me put all of the bellhousing bolts where he felt they needed to be haha. Love having him help me in the garage.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50949581261_828d2efa0a_b-1.jpg

Then moved onto the heads. I got all of the valve springs installed in the heads and they are ready to go. I put assembly lube on any moving part and now they are ready to install.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50949577026_a63a761e3b_b-1.jpg

Once the heads are on I'll check my push rod length and button up the top end.

Cheers,
Ryan

[Jonathonar89]

Good stuff man. Haven't seen your thread since TAC has been down.

[CarlC]

Nice improvising Ryan.

The Tremec shifter has a very poor lower seal design. The hoop stress on the seal is way too much. In other works, it's stretched way to much around the shifter shaft.

The trick is to machine the shaft so that the seal recesses into a groove that reduces the hoop stress. I had to warranty replace my shifter after it spewed oil all over the carpet, then again after a second failure. Replacement seals are not available from Tremec.

9/16" diameter. It's not a matter of it it will fail, but when.

https://j.hmjimg.com/2021/02/21/Shifter-shaft-reduced.md.jpg (https://www.hostmyjunk.com/image/p0Hdt)

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks for the heads up Carl. I didn't know that was even a thing. My neighbor has a lathe. I'll have to buy him a case and run over and chuck it in to make a groove. Does anyone make a good aftermarket fulcrum to replace this one? Maybe even one that's modified to allow for a shorter throw? I plan on reusing my 10" shifter.

[ryeguy2006a]

Made some more progress on my engine last week. I installed the LS7 lifters that have been soaking in new oil along with some trays.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50973781801_1e26630acd_b-1.jpg

Then I cleaned up the deck and head mating surfaces and installed a new LS9 head gasket.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50973087723_801f6b6843_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50973780386_eac2e0a022_b-1.jpg

Finished the head install with a set of ARP bolts torqued to their specs.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50973886302_e8bfe2a02a_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50973778891_290ab0e3dc_b-1.jpg

It was getting late when I was in the garage and got carried away test fitting the engine accessories. I started by test fitting the water pump, and before I knew it the whole accessories were mocked up.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50973777526_9e5f5ed9e6_b-1.jpg

I test fit a new LS1 Fbody belt that I had kept in the event that it would work with my new accessories, but it's way too short. The routing looks good, but I do need to find a smaller idler pulley. This one was a random one that I had just to mock up.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50973876087_fd8521a7fe_b-1.jpg

Then I got to looking at the low mount with truck alternator. It's going to be really close, and the positive stud will be contacting the frame. So I'm either going to need to reclock it or try a new alternator.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50973083368_0264f9939c_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50973876107_1da4b3dedb_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50973076858_c20f6f26c6_b-1.jpg

I finally tracked down the last part that I needed for my Hybrid TR6060-Magnum project. I needed a mid-shift plate to cover up where the stock TR6060 shifter was. I found one listed on eBay along with a shifter and messaged the guy. He sold me the plate by itself, Win. I'll get some new bolts, but here it is installed hand tight to keep out dust/dirt.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50973767846_9d6c3924fb_b-1.jpg

I also bought a few other parts. One is a trap door for the trunk so that I can swap out fuel pumps much easier. I like how this trap door is very slim and won't intrude into the truck far.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50973767131_1c7e608cee_b-1.jpg

I also finally found a fitting that works for the fluid pump on the TR6060. It is Dorman Part# 800-732, with a 9/16-18 thread with O-ring on the transmission side and a 5/8-18 inverted flare fitting for the line. I opted to go with a conventional flare nut over an AN fitting because I think it will do a better job of cooling, and a little easier on the wallet.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50978394178_24f69ba479_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50979205407_8dcde01e48_b-1.jpg

I also got a 5' section of 3/8" NiCopp line with fittings and a Holley CAN splitter.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/02/50978394473_284d526ca4_b-1.jpg

Thanks,
Ryan

[Jonathonar89]

Folger's French Roast...we do Folger's Classic Medium over here lol

Keep at it brother!

[FormTA]

Looking good Ryan! Keep it up, spring is right around the corner!

[minendrews68]

I like others here am impressed with your diligence and good work. I put one of the trap doors in my trunk floor too. One of the best purchases as of yet. Although there have been many best purchases, haha. Very nice work!

[Motown 454]

It's coming together nice Ryan, good progress.

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the compliments. Hoping to have the motor and trans in the car in the next few weeks.

[ryeguy2006a]

I've been continuing to make progress toward getting this motor installed. I have been jumping around, but I wanted to make sure that I've got everything test fit and ready so I only have to install the motor and trans once.

I started by mocking up the motor and engine harness. Holley gives a lot of extra wiring length, so I'm working on cleaning that all up. I'll wrap it up inside of the cabin, but outside it fits much tighter and cleaner. I also need to add a few wires for the Flex Fuel Sensor and MAC valve. Another little detail is that I had to re-drill the coil brackets to lower them by about 1" so that they clear the fuel rails. I have some really nice mesh wire wrap that I'll finish it all up in. Should look very clean and tidy when I'm done.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51015918237_dbc19e7dab_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51015101498_65e6d8b6c3_b-1.jpg

I mentioned that I'll be wiring up a MAC Valve, and what I'm going to try and do is use it as a makeshift boost control valve. There are a few people online who have been playing with the Terminator software to use this valve to control boost in certain situations. My intentions would be to turn down the boost while I break in the motor, but it could be used for traction control, valet mode, and etc. Something for me to play with down the road.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51015098628_3973396a1d_b-1.jpg

I also picked up a cheap LS1 Fbody alternator to try in the low mount position and it wasn't any better than the truck, so I'm back to square one.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51015823946_38c0b30150_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51015096903_34a8aaff7f_b-1.jpg

I bought these a long time ago, and was looking forward to installing them ever since. With all of the miles on the stock rockers and the added lift from the cam, I opted to go with brass trunnions. I went with the CHE Trunnions for two reasons. I really liked how these had a floating design rather than a pressed in fixed bushing, and secondly by default of their construction the ease of installation. Because they are a floating design it doesn't require any press to install. They all just slip together. Overall it took me about an hour to assemble and lube them all up. Very impressed with the quality here and would recommend them highly.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51015823021_cf26c41767_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51015912252_b06c37d428_b-1.jpg

After I installed the rockers, I measured for pushrods and came up between a 7.375 and 7.400, so I opted to use the 7.400 that I already have. If they end up being too tight and give that sewing machine sound, I'll swap them out for the looser of the two. What was interesting is that when I went to rotate the motor to check for pushrod length on a few different rockers, the motor was frozen. It didn't want to move at all. Now, I have doublechecked everything along the way so I was terrified I screwed something up. I assumed the worst, but it didn't make sense as nothing has changed that I could think of. So ended up pulling apart the front of the engine and found the culprit... oil pump. When I had disassembled to shim, I must have flipped the drive around and it clamped tight. I swore I was careful about orientation, but somehow got flipped 180*. After I corrected that, everything turned freely. While I was in there, I took the opportunity to document my timing marks as I didn't get a picture before. Re-torqued and reinstalled everything.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51015094243_094f4f9fcf_b-1.jpg

I then moved onto the clutch master cylinder swap. Last season I wasn't happy with how stiff the pedal was on my car. After researching I found out that Tick uses a 7/8" bore Tilton which by nature is more stiff, because the 3/4" is what came stock. So because I'm going to run a McCleod RXT which will be stiffer than the LS7, I opted to swap those out now. Nice thing about having the parts already fit, is it was a simple remove and reinstall exercise.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51015821006_4c86ab70e1_b-1.jpg

I got a crank pinning kit from LSXInnovations and the first one was "lost" in the mail, so they sent me another one. Well the replacement came one day and the "lost" one showed up the next day. I've contacted them to return one, so I'll see what they say.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51015092568_0e09d8174b_b-1.jpg

I cleaned up the low mileage clutch (500 miles) that I bought a while ago and followed the installation instructions per their specs. All went very smoothly. The steel install tool worked so much better than the plastic ones. The trans slid right together.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51015091733_4d627870b8_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51015909767_8f30e39323_b-1.jpg

Then I bent up and installed the fluid pump lines. Unfortunately the driver's side wouldn't fit the tunnel, so I need to make some changes to how it's routed. I'll end up using the stock line that came with the trans and a compression fitting so it will be a quick fix. But I was a little bummed since I liked how clean it was. Oh well.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51015090123_ceae3a85a9_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51015816796_8b9c9b978f_b-1.jpg

Then after about an hour of messing around to carefully not hit anything, the motor/trans are installed! Overall the fitment is very similar since the drivetrain that it replaced was almost identical. I was worried that the slightly larger TR6060 bellhousing would be an issue, but it fit with room to spare. That's a huge relief. Another huge relief is that the stock Tremec shifter fits right in almost the same spot as my T56 Fbody trans. Overall a huge win!!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51018669078_7a984aba67_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51015816866_9b50faf90f_b-1.jpg

I'm hoping that the rest goes pretty smoothly since I'll be bolting on many pieces that were already fit to the car like the exhaust. I think I can make a slight modification to a truck alternator and it will work, but I need to get one in my hands. Another detail that I decided to do while I'm upgrading everything else was to upgrade from Terminator X to X Max for DBW. I was looking around at my throttle body options and considering a Nick Williams but they are $400 bucks. After looking around I was able to upgrade to Terminator X Max (Thanks MCB), sell my Terminator X base (Thanks Jonathan) and buy a pedal/throttlebody for about the same price. Should give me more control over when safeties can be activated and a few other options. So I'll need to make a few changes to accommodate that, but will be worth it in the end.

Thanks,
Ryan

[David Sloan]

Making progress! :drive:

[FormTA]

This is totally awesome! Looks killer man! I would be lost, you see how I fumbled through my basic LS swap 😀

[Jonathonar89]

This is totally awesome! Looks killer man! I would be lost, you see how I fumbled through my basic LS swap 😀


You’ll get it figured out. The TAC crowd can always give you pointers.

[ryeguy2006a]

Luke, you did a great job on that LS swap. I think it may be time to start thinking about the 67 RS now:drive:

I made some more progress over the weekend. I decided to change gears and start thinking about my fuel system. I got the tank installed and mocked up so that I could cut an access hole in the trunk. I cringed a little before I made the cut, but it was worth it to be able to pop the fuel pump in and out so easily.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51039757497_e09b20f733_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51038930748_e5110f719a_b-1.jpg

I need to get the hammer and dolly out to flatten out some of the panels. I'll also likely need to stitch weld some of the seams to make a flat spot to mount the access door. My pan is to make it look like semi-factory when it's done.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51039659371_f0bf6e4e14_b-1.jpg

Mocked up and cut my power steering lines. The fittings and line are Russell Power Flex and were super easy to make. Made for a nice clean routing.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51039653721_72f4bdb616_b-1.jpg

Then I turned my attention to my fuel tank. I bought the fuel sender from Rick's, but it ended up being pushed out several times on backorder, so I decided to make my own. I had a few leftover parts from another attempt I had at making a fuel sender in my last tank and built my own. I had a spare fuel sender that came with another fuel pump housing that I cannibalized the mounting point from. It worked out really well and works great.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51039743812_15ded9cf93_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51039750022_5cd5d9beec_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51039744072_80e18fc4f2_b-1.jpg

The finished product installed in the tank. It's ugly, but works flawlessly.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51039749397_9e6cbb025b_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51039747137_00064e40ab_b-1.jpg

I also made the change recently and decided to go with a Terminator X Max for the DBW function. I found a good buddy who wanted my Terminator X ECU and he bought that. Win win for both of us. I bought a gold blade LS3 throttlebody and a C6 pedal, just waiting for the new ECU to come in before I can test to make sure that they all work properly together.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51039662571_cd3831a520_b-1.jpg

I went back and forth on the few options that I have for running a low mount alternator in f-body location, but at the Vette spacing to line up with my CTS-V accessories. The stock truck 105 Amp alternator that I have would work other than the battery stud points right at the frame. After a failed attempt at trying to reclock the alternator, I thought maybe I could bend the stud to fit and get a new alternator. While this worked, it was not ideal. I found out that the Powermaster 484831 alternator has a side post stud, same small case CS130 and would be located roughly in the same spot that my bent stud was and it is a 165 Amp unit. But after mulling it over for a few days I decided against that because I'm just not a big fan of where the stud comes out.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51039753842_1262f8d48b_b-1.jpg

That led me to think outside of the box. I found out that the 14+ Silverado/Sierra alternators are all a side post models, directly bolt into the location I need, are roughly the same size if not a bit smaller and come in 150 or 170 Amp models. Only downside is that they are controlled by PWM+ and will not function properly without the proper signal. I found a cheap 170 Amp unit on eBay this morning and will give this a try. Plus I should be able to program an output in X Max to drive the alternator and can use it to ramp up based on load. Keeping my fingers crossed that it fits because this would solve all of my alternator issues.

Cheers,
Ryan

[Hotwire]

I know you're probably wanting a simple bolt in solution, but if you can't get the terminator to run the silvy alternator, you could take it to your local alternator/stator/electric motor repair place. Usually filled with white haired gruff guys that just grunt when you ask them a question you think is undoable. Have had many tractor generators, pool pumps, etc rebuilt over the years, I'm sure they could whip something up for you.

[Bugzilla]

If you cant figure out how to make the Holley control the alternator, look at Tick Performance. They have a stand alone PWM controller. If not, Powermaster has a really good selection of different styles of alternators that wont break the bank.

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks guys. The first step for me will be confirming that the alternator physically fits in that location. If Holley control doesn't work like I want, the other option will be to use one of those cheap PWM from Amazon/eBay. I looked it up and that Tick module is also a good option. The alternator should be here tomorrow so I'll confirm fitment and go from there.

[ryeguy2006a]

The warmer weather has come early this year and I'm now chomping at the bit to get the motor back together. The 14+ Alternator came in pretty quickly and I couldn't wait to test fit it, but unfortunately the dimensions that I found online weren't accurate and it is just a little too big for the low mount position. I was able to get it installed, but it meant shimming the bracket .100" away from the block and would need to lower the sway bar mount just to get it fit. Dealbreaker, but I'll save this alternator for another project. I had some parts sell unexpectedly so I bought the Powermaster alternator this morning that has the CS130D case which I know fits, is 165 Amps, and has a side post. Here's a picture of just how close the 14+ alternator was.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51062565952_381bfe3406_b-1.jpg

Moving on I had to remove the snout of the supercharger in order to replace the stock spring isolator with the revised solid isolator from Eaton. Found a little wear from the spring on the shaft, but luckily there isn't anything that rides on that part of the shaft so it won't affect anything. PSA to all LSA owners, Replace your spring isolators.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51062497241_8dd159a561_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51062497826_7bb09fb62e_b-1.jpg

While that was off I also wanted to swap out the stock 2.95" pulley for the Griptech 2.50" pulley and ZPE hub. Wow that stock pulley was a PITA to remove. I ended up breaking the Harbor Freight 3 Jaw puller, but was successful with my bearing puller and impact gun.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51062494986_b7866ae71b_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51062491861_c02bda3c06_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51062495921_eb68caeb70_b-1.jpg

My father in law let me stop over and borrow his shop press and we were able to get the new hub pressed on.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51062576842_bb16806e6d_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51061770593_b3ba7561fb_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51062568777_0b84b6f3f1_b-1.jpg

Then after test fitting the LS3 Throttlebody, I realized that on the driver's side of the opening, there was a spot that rose up slightly and after looking at other ported snouts, they smoothed this out to give a straighter shot into the intake. My buddy let me borrow his porting tools and I got to work. Here is the before doing my best to show the restriction. The right side of the picture is what I'm talking about.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51062580682_bef44bd1f0_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51062563867_ab8a4e22b5_b-1.jpg

Here is where I roughed it in being very careful to keep a light touch and long sweeping cuts.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51062477956_53f0f2a72a_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51062479751_3bb94f47f6_b-1.jpg

Then I used some sanding drums that I had starting with 80 grit and finished with 100 grit. I definitely thing it's an improvement, but I'm sure it was minimal if any improvement. I washed it out multiple times to get all the grit out.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51062477896_814eefd47f_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51062477826_eab87161f6_b-1.jpg

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https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51062558777_ee2b4ac9c3_b-1.jpg

Changing directions I also was able to get my trans crossmember modified since the TR6060 Hybrid was a little longer. Ended up needing to move it back about 1.25", but was at the same height.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51062568682_55ed71cc74_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51062482916_3e5b73a440_b-1.jpg

I was using my dad's welder since he has a 211 Miller, whereas mine is a smaller 135. Glad I did because it gave excellent penetration. I didn't get the hang of his welder until the other side where I got all the settings perfect. Welds were a little hot at first, so I had to keep dialing it back. I could definitely get used to that welder for sure.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51062475476_249211aba7_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51061758558_589c9216f2_b-1.jpg

I also mocked up my engine accessories to make sure there wasn't any clearance issues anywhere. Luckily it all fit just fine, but wanted to be sure.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51062493076_6a830d2234_b-1.jpg

Now that the crossmember is finished, I'll be able to bolt up the trans for good and get my measurements for the driveshaft. One last thing though before I can do that is swapping out the differential yoke. I have a pretty bad leak there so I figured while I was addressing that I might as well upgrade to a 1350 yoke to match the trans and driveshaft I'll order. I bought this cool tool that will hold the yoke which will come in handy when I torque the new yoke down.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51062578907_7ea67a46b9_b-1.jpg

I'm hoping to swap the yoke this week and get some measurements for the driveshaft sent out so that can be made. There is a lead time so I want that to be in process while I work on everything else. I need to button up the fuel pump door in the trunk next, and start bolting parts back onto the car. Also hoping to get the supercharger back together soon and test fitting it soon.

Thanks,
​​​​​​​Ryan

[slimjim]

you're a busy man, putting in the hard yards for those HPs, I hope you get to enjoy it soon

[ryeguy2006a]

I've been keeping busy and making a little bit of progress here and there. I got out into the garage last night and had something to show for it. This is partially an upgrade and partially maintenance. I've had a pinion leak since I build the rear end, but am now addressing that. Apparently you are supposed to add some sealant to the splines on the yoke, not just the nut. Lesson learned. Anyway, it was a great excuse to upgrade to a 1350 yoke while I had to pull the old yoke anyway. Hopefully I can get this back together soon, but I'm waiting on the correct pinion seal.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51072766153_9c58266a74_b-1.jpg

I should have just gotten the Powermaster 484831 from the beginning since I was sure that it would fit my needs. Failed attempt at using the 14+ Silverado alternator, but at least I tried right?? Anyway, this Powermaster unit checks all the boxes; 165 Amp, side post, and compact enough to fit where I needed it.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51073562992_7a955e499c_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51072686953_dba7c8f2e3_b-1.jpg

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https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51073482577_1ed3c85616_b-1.jpg

Again, I'm a sucker for a good deal. Picked up these Holley Tall Valve covers for half of retail that are brand new. They really serve two purposes for me; one I don't have to clean up my old scrubby ones, and two it moves the coils down so it doesn't interfere with the LSA fuel rails. And I'll add a third, they really look great. I'm either painting them Chevy orange or Torch Red to match the car. Haven't decided.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51004170185_40d4c6c8fd_b-1.jpg

I also picked up a used Elite Engineering E2 Catch can with all the hoses and one way valve. Looks new, and helps with forced induction from what I understand. I'm going to build a mount off of the supercharger tensioner to keep it out of the way and easy to access. Unfortunately the head mount bracket won't work.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51073450632_504cacf919_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51004164415_ab71edd8a5_b-1.jpg

Then the moment that I've been waiting for for a very long time. It's only mocked up at this point to check for interference, but it really changes the look of the engine bay.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51073452297_025a49ec9c_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51073450787_83bf9d3642_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51073344866_95ec1174f8_b-1.jpg

My cowl hood bumps up in the middle so this should clear no problem.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51073349226_acf99b98e7_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51072652618_b44868aa61_b-1.jpg

This picture is straight across the two fender top body lines.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51072653093_aa628eed13_b-1.jpg

I'm so pumped about hearing this thing run! Ordered a few more parts and thankfully there is only one more large purchase and a few smaller ones before I can call it done.

Cheers,
Ryan

[ryeguy2006a]

Now that the motor and components are all fitting together, I wanted to focus on the systems that I'm changing up and getting them ready to fire up the motor. One thing that I wanted to do is adding a fuel door in the event that I ever needed to change out my fuel pump assembly and/or upgrade the pumps. It will make the job soo much easier/quicker in the future. I wanted to make it sort of look like it could have come this way so I wanted to blend in the bead rolls. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Here's the starting point where I hacked it away.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/03/51039757497_e09b20f733_b-1.jpg

I made some pie cuts on the bead rolls then used a hammer and dolly to flatten them out. One side popped up and the other side popped down. Once it was all flat, I used my mig to weld it back together then ground it all flush with a flap disk.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51089897691_e8746d2d24_b-1.jpg

I used some sprayed the door with etch primer, seam sealed the bottom side, then topped it off with some satin black to blend it in with the existing trunk. Once I get the truck cleaned out, I'll go back and spray it over with some trunk splatter paint to give it a more original look.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51090441228_d9ea1b1c73_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51089874929_1a77251d6a_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51090342908_413dfe7a3f_b-1.jpg

Tank is installed for good now.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51090610935_02c0be1cfd_b-1.jpg

I talked with Carl at Vaporworx and ordered some parts to finish up the install of the PressureWorx kit. If I had bought new I would have had all the terminals and wiring, but since I got it second hand, I needed a few of the terminals. He was super helpful and got back to me right away. Excellent customer service. It's also worth pointing out one reason why I'm so glad that I upgraded to the PWM, since I found some previous work that wasn't my best. I don't remember the soldering being this bad, but check out the corrosion. I believe I did this about 3 years ago, so it happened pretty quickly. This most certainly would have failed at some point in the near future. It pulled apart when I gave it a little tug. Per Carl's (and Andrew's) recommendation, I'll be crimping my connections going forward.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51089970909_a278f03662_b-1.jpg

As many have likely found out, the backorder on the Terminator X Max kits is pretty extensive with Holley directly. I waited for about a month and in the end just decided to stick with a cable throttlebody, rather than going DBW right now. Maybe when they are back in stock this fall I'll try again. For now I shopped around and found a great deal on a used Nick Williams 92mm. Came with the sensors too which is a big bonus. It fit great, and just barely cleared the PS reservoir. I'm going to make my own version of the Motionworks DBC bracket using a truck cable holder that I've had for a while and good news is my old throttle cable fits with room to spare. WIN.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51090607730_9401c4544a_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51090606725_6171bca1b4_b-1.jpg

Moving back to my yoke swap on the rear differential, I started doing some research on the correct seal. I found out that all of the one's that you get at the parts stores and RockAuto are actually meant for truck 12 bolts. Some people used a small 1/8" shim or don't fully tap in the seal to get the right depth. Then I found out that there is one company that does make the correct seal, and it's available at Summit Racing. Ratech RAT-6109 for those interested. This will allow the seal to sit closer to the seal mating surface on the yoke since it sticks out farther.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51089872774_667e182131_b-1.jpg

Timkin vs Ratech.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51090604600_5404a86f05_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51090338178_be4a49d5d9_b-1.jpg

This along with silicone on the yoke splines should fix my leaky differential. Then more exciting news is my driveshaft from PEM racing came in. I'm very impressed with the quality and how quickly it shipped to me. This is their Drag Racing 3.5" .125" wall driveshaft with 1350 ends and Spicer solid U-joints included. They had the best price by far, and it came with free shipping! I ended up measuring 42" with my combination, but if you are replicating this build measure yours first. The guy I emailed there said that this combo should be good for around 750+HP, so I should be well under this figure.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51089870309_907d0e31e1_b-1.jpg

Installed my Sonnax 1350 ujoint and test fit everything. Looks like I measured spot on with about 7/8" of stick out of the trans.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51089868239_0872b6c0d5_b-1.jpg

I ran out of time to get the yoke reinstalled, but the new seal is in. I'll need to torque it and then check the rotational drag with a torque wrench. Then I can button up the driveline and test fit the exhaust. I'm hoping that my mufflers won't be too close, but if not I may have to modify them or possibly replace.

I'm hoping to get out in the garage tonight and get a lot of work done.

Ryan

[Just 1 More]

enjoying following along, thanks for the updates

[slimjim]

I started using 'heat shrink solder tubes' for my wiring in the last year and I haven't turned back. check them out if you haven't already

[Vimes]

I started using 'heat shrink solder tubes' for my wiring in the last year and I haven't turned back. check them out if you haven't already

Those are really nice! Thanks for posting that up. When I run out of my current soldering rings and heat shrink I'll give those a try. The way I do it now gets a solid connection and a good, tight waterproof seal but it takes time to do each wire pair. I also don't have too much of my lead solder left and they aren't making it anymore. I still have solder from back when Radio Shack was a component store. :naughty:

[ryeguy2006a]

I started using 'heat shrink solder tubes' for my wiring in the last year and I haven't turned back. check them out if you haven't already

Those are really slick! I'll have to pick up a set of them to try out.

[ryeguy2006a]

I've been working outside getting the house around for the early spring we are having. It's been nice enough for the last 3 weeks that I could have been driving my car which is extremely rare in NY. I've been plugging away with little projects here and there and have enough content for an update. After reading about all the problems that guys were having with the stock Tremec shifters leaking, I kept my eye out for a good used one and found a great deal on a barely used Hurst shifter. It didn't come with the shifter adapter, but I made one since Holley wanted $94 plus shipping for the little adapter. The shifter feel is much tighter compared to the stock Tremec. I measured before and after since I had the stock one installed at the time. The throw was about 5" from 3rd to 4th with the stock shifter, and 3.25" with the Hurst. This shifter takes out the slop and makes for a more firm shift.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51090705525_85dfbe00ee_b-1.jpg

What I started with

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51113226214_8e373ddf7e_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51113378963_b9b39b4755_b-1.jpg

Finished product, and also got the boot fit up nicer than I had it last fall.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51113464201_0c84e29cc9_b-1.jpg

I have also been working on a DBC throttle bracket for the last few weeks here and there. I finished it up last night and am very happy with how it turned out. 1/8" aluminum plate and a 02ish truck throttle cable bracket that I trimmed the 3rd mount off of. I used a piece of cardboard, then a thin piece of aluminum, then the final piece.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51112901027_02dbc64e2b_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51114253170_c34abf8c0c_b-1.jpg

Final product. It works really well and I also have room if I decide to run a cruise control module.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51113465506_6575e90a5a_b-1.jpg

I have also been working on prepping the supercharger for the final install. Now that I confirmed that the snout needed no further porting, I replaced the spring isolator with an Eaton solid unit then silicone'd it all back together with Loctite 598. Note that this is what is supposed to be used, not just any black/gray silicone.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51114253185_60423f46fa_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51089886677_e78308d8fe_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51089897941_31bbfdacb0_b-1.jpg

I also bought some aluminum online and made up some plates to reinforce my intercooler brick. I sent those out to be welded and should have them back by the weekend.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51090441023_5afbcec1a6_b-1.jpg

Then externally I had to make a clearance for the fuel fitting off of my fuel rail. I added a fuel pressure adapter so that I can put a regular gauge on there in the event I needed another spot to troubleshoot my fuel pressure. At the time I had lost my fitting, but I used this -6AN fitting I had to mock it up. I was positive that one of my boys took it and put it in a drawer or bucket or something. I'm also planning to make a bracket to mount the fill port for the supercharger coolant off of those two holes. Will make for a nice simple bracket to mount that fill port.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51113469051_52b47478c5_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51113378333_b2c6e0f0e1_b-1.jpg

Well it wasn't the kids that lost it...

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51114252105_d4db878043_b-1.jpg

I also starting on my wiring. Carl from Vaporworx recommended 8ga wire from the battery directly to the Pressureworx module, so I'll do just that. I also routed the MAP wires along with the fuel pump wires so that I can utilize the boost referenced feature. Not much to show, but this big mess. I'm glad that I went with Carl's recommendation of 25' of wire because I needed all but about 3'. I was planning on buying 15', but I would have been way short.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51113464576_9bb9401bc4_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51113465711_bf3e0b76bb_b-1.jpg

I also had a few parts come in from RockAuto. New knock sensors and a really nice molded hose for my booster. Both were really cheap. That molded hose will work perfectly and routes so cleanly around the supercharger. It's the part number for a ZL1 Camaro, but could be the same for a CTS-V. It needs to be modified slightly, but I'll grab a picture when it's installed.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51113374138_cd05a87695_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51113465516_b71e8e4e6b_b-1.jpg

Cheers,
​​​​​​​Ryan

[andrewb70]

Make sure the coil sub harnesses are oriented in the correct way.

Andrew

[Motown 454]

You've had a busy couple of weeks, nice progress. Doesn't it figure the fitting fell where you would look there and never realize that was it.

[David Sloan]

Looking good!
Our weather has been good to so I have been outside working on the yard and house! Keep the wife happy everybody’s happy!
Thanks for sharing!

[ryeguy2006a]

I made a bunch of progress this weekend and I officially have reached the end of the parts buying stage... well maybe more tires, but you get the idea. Earlier in the week I broke broke down and finally picked up a bigger torque wrench. I've needed one that goes over the 150 lb ft unit that I have a few times now and this seemed like a good time since I had to torque my crank bolt. Before I torqued it though I wanted to pin the crank which as super easy with the kit from LSX Innovations.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51125123079_736820e100_b-1.jpg

I only ordered the torque wrench, but when I looked in my box there was also an extension set. Funny because I've been meaning to buy another 1/2" extension. Thanks AutoZone!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51125121479_98dc364ced_b-1.jpg

I picked up another crank holding fixture that bolts in place of the starter because surprise, the overseas one that I bought didn't even come close to fitting. I got the one from MAF and it was a perfect fit. After I bolted it in position I torqued the crank bolt per the instructions. Now can I just say that 235 lb ft is a lot of torque! Glad that's over.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51124810632_702c673f1a_b-1.jpg

Next up was making a bracket to hold my reservoir/ fill cap. For a little bracket like that, it looks simple, but took me a while to get it just right. It sits about an inch higher than the highest part of the brick so it should do it's job to purge all the air out of the system. I want to replace those bolts with some button head or allen socket bolts.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51126179920_30dd8630ce_b-1.jpg

Here is the fuel pressure tester schrader valve I added. Could come in handy someday.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51125117784_01cc6686b5_b-1.jpg

I've been holding off on installing anything on this side of the motor until I got the balancer torqued so I had clear access to the starter area. Installed my eBay find LS3 starter and was anxious to know if it worked. So I installed it, tested the starter solenoid and it easily bumped the motor over. Such a tease...

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51124810202_b767a0bc65_b-1.jpg

I also found an nice place to mount my fuel pump controller. Nice and out of the way, on this little mounting plate I made. I have the wires from the battery and crimped the terminals and it's installed on the controller now. Just need to crimp the battery side and then from the controller to the fuel pump itself. Shouldn't be long now and I can test fire the fuel pump and controller. Before I test it though I also need to make a bracket to add the flex fuel sensor inline.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51124812797_388f37a442_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51125117054_c57a00e4dc_b-1.jpg

Not sure why I kept putting it off, but I made my fuel crossover too. I used all Racetronix fittings and lines and they installed very easily. Very pleased with them.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51125117394_8974f0ef3a_b-1.jpg

I have been working on and off for about 2 weeks trying to figure out the best place to install my catch can. I was hoping to place it roughly in the same spot as the cylinder head mount, but the 8 rib tensioner occupied one of the mounting holes. What I was going to do is shave off 1/4" from the backside of the bracket and then it would bolt in place. Then my father in law came over and said why don't you find a way to maybe bolt it to the tensioner bracket. Then a lightbulb went off and I came up with this pretty clever idea. Since the bolt hole that holds the tensioner on is tapped all the way through and is completely open on the backside, I installed a longer bolt through it and it created a stud that I could use on the backside. Then all I had to do was shorten the bracket that came with it and drill/tap one hole on the bracket. Doesn't harm the integrity of the bracket, creates a nice spot to mount the can low and gives easy access to it for service. Super happy with that install.

Took way more time that I wanted, but I'm super happy with the results. The lines are backwards incase someone notices. I'll need to switch them before I fire up the motor.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51126179790_3320daf00f_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51124806887_ef77088a97_b-1.jpg

Then my last parts showed up. I had a buddy from Florida help me out and welded my brick for me. Shipped it there and back safely so that made me happy. Brian did a great job, thanks again man! For those that don't know, the stock intercooler bricks can collapse from boost even under stock psi. So it's really important to reinforce them, but especially if you overdrive the supercharger like I did.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51126179715_ccb29a033d_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51124807107_40ec5c7355_b-1.jpg

Then the PLM heat exchanger came in. I've seen a few guys run this in a first gen Camaro one of which was an RS so I know it fits well. I'm going to copy what the RS guy did so I already know how I'm going to mount it. Just need to make a bracket.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51125372711_893d549008_b-1.jpg

I also opted to use the GM Synchromesh which is supposed to be the best for the TR6060 and T56 Magnum's.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51125367776_5b82f05194_b-1.jpg

Now that the intercooler brick was here I didn't waste any time and got that installed Friday night. Then I kept grabbing parts off my bench and before I knew it, the motor was completely assembled and final torqued.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51125278773_a8e2febfcb_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51126179210_3c01bf15fa_b-1.jpg

I'm getting so excited now! My punch list is getting very short and I'm really down to finishing some wiring for the ECU/Fuel pump, bolting my exhaust back on, fill/top off all fluids, prime the motor and send it! I'm hoping to get a few nights in the garage this week and turn the key next weekend.

Cheers,
Ryan

[ryeguy2006a]

I had to pull my tank one last time since I forgot to add a grounding wire to the fuel tank. I got that installed and added a metri-pack connector to for the fuel level sensor so that I can pull the tank quickly if needed. I added a ground wire from from the main battery wire feed for the fuel pump.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51132195534_ff2e62d78d_b-1.jpg

Got the tank back in and all the connections made. So glad that I added that trap door.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51130741082_7068d82029_b-1.jpg

8 ga wire that splits into the two feeds for the fuel pump. Should be minimal voltage drop from the battery.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51131417376_a49e65a73f_b-1.jpg

The fuel pump module is all done and installed. I'm waiting on some connectors so I still need to hook up the MAP - and MAP signal wires, as well as looming the wiring. But as is, it will control the fuel pump but without those wires it won't be boost referenced.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51132194344_c57087d9ba_b-1.jpg

Before I loom up the engine wiring I wanted to hook everything up to confirm that I don't have any wiring or sensor issues. All the wiring, headers, and coils are now installed on the car. I do need to make a few little clearance dents for the plug wires and access to the plugs. I also bought a longer throttle cable so that I can route it a little more neatly than how it is currently. Otherwise the motor is pretty much in the final stage of assembly.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51131627678_6b3b46f947_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51132523135_31b53eb757_b-1.jpg

Hopefully this is helpful for someone out there, but these are the belts I used for the 2.5" upper pulley and the stock CTS-V accessories with the ICT low mount Alternator.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51131629173_9ce17b451f_b-1.jpg

I then moved my attention to the heat exchanger. This was the largest one that I could find that would work with everything in the stock location. I had considered getting a larger exchanger and having some fittings welded to it, but that didn't work out. It would physically fit in the space, but with the hood latch and center brace installed it was clear I would need some major modifications. This exchanger is still much larger than the stock CTS-V and with the upgraded circulation pump, I should be ok. I'll keep an eye on my IAT's once I get the car up and running.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51125372711_893d549008_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51131417186_c98af40d3a_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51130740937_6cb324a0e4_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51132190544_94339061b5_b-1.jpg

I'm having a little trouble figuring out how I want to mount my coolant circulation pump in order to maximize the flow while keeping it accessible for servicing. I need to get the exchanger final mounted before I can find a final mounting spot. I also found out recently that the pump actually can be run off of PWM. Pin A is ground, B not used, C is PWM+ signal, and D is 12v Ignition. Most people tie the C and D pins together which makes the pump run at 100% duty cycle. My thought is that I can use Holley to control the circulation and use IAT's as my trigger to increase the duty cycle. For now I'm going to wire it for the pump to run 100% because I just want to get the car up and running right now, but this is a project for later this summer I think. I still need to do more research since Holley only has a PWM- output, so getting the PWM- signal to PWM+ is my homework.

If I can get out into the garage tonight I'm pretty sure that I can start the car tomorrow!

[Bugzilla]

Just a for your info - you got your 6 rib belt routed wrong. Goes from the crank to the idler pulley, down around the alt and then up and around the PS pump. You will have some belt slip with it as is since its barely riding on the balancer.

Keep up the progress though!

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks for catching that!! It's the little things that get you... Ordering a new belt now.

[Vimes]

Probably not a concern right this minute on a new build, but you're going to want a rubber seal around that gas tank hatch. Otherwise anything under the car can find its way into the car's interior. Nice though, I wish all cars came with a little hatch right over the fuel pump.

[Bugzilla]

Thanks for catching that!! It's the little things that get you... Ordering a new belt now.

No problem! Can't tell you how many of my customers have done the same. You definitely aren't the first.

Don't quote me on this but I think you need a 81.5" belt. I can double check on Monday if you need me to.

Edit - no I think its a 82.5 since you are using the actual lsa tensioner and f body alt.

[Motown 454]

How thick were the pieces you put on the brick? It’s looking good!

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks Vimes. I was planning on using something to seal it all up after I'm confident the fuel system is fully up and running. Thanks for the idea.

Bugzilla, I tried re-routing it and my current 82.5" belt was quite a bit short. Stock CTS-V is 85.5", but I think I'll need more like an 84.5". Really appreciate you catching that. :drive:

Wayne, those plates are 1/8" thick. I used a 2.5" x 12" plate and it was the perfect amount for reinforcing the ends. If you are doing a ZL1 lid, you'd only need a 2" x 12" piece.

[ryeguy2006a]

Close but no cigar... I worked from 8 - 2am Friday night and didn't quite get it all finished up. I probably could have gotten it to the point of firing this weekend if I chose to not install the flex fuel sensor now. I went back and forth because I don't "need" it, but it's something I eventually want to play with. It would be a huge PITA to do it when the hood is back on so I bit the bullet.

I wanted to focus on getting the fuel system finished up, so the flex fuel sensor was next up on that list. Like always, I mocked it up with cardboard first, then used my final material. Version 1.0 I was planning on using two small bolts to hold on the bracket, but after getting it fit up in there, I realized that I could use one of the mounting studs off of the brake booster and it would give me more clearance around everything.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51139777881_f777ecb143_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51139100952_5af12e3e79_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51139100407_d99af64b22_b-1.jpg

The fuel lines are always a discussion, but I've been very happy with using the Nylon fuel lines and Dorman fittings. Here's how I've always done them and have had great success. Caulk gun method requires you to use a two post caulk gun and a brake flare tool. It really couldn't be any easier. If it's your first time doing it, I'd suggest using a practice piece to make sure you have the right clamping force and pressure. Position the fuel line in the brake flare tool, use the fitting to measure the correct depth so you can have the right amount of stick out, make sure the line and fitting are both centered in the caulk gun, then slowly press the fitting in. I pressed mine in dry, but you could also use a window cleaner or something that would evaporate to make the press a little easier. If you get the right amount of clamping pressure there is minimal amount of marks left by the brake flare tool. I used a little heat to form the tighter bends around the wiper motor and it was a perfect fit! Very happy with the install.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51139774411_bf5fe32e05_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51139991258_f3a382eea0_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51139990073_ea87be9625_b-1.jpg

Fuel system is now fully plumbed and wired up. I bought 10 gallons of fresh 93 octane so I'll fill the tank and then I can check for leaks. Now I can move onto the heat exchanger install. I welded a few flange nuts to the core support and drilled a few holes into the aluminum angle iron to hold it to the car. Then after shuffling the heat exchanger around side to side, I found the best position for functionality and aesthetics. I wanted it both centered in the grill, and also not interfere with the RS headlight doors or the center mount. Once I was happy I drilled the holes for the HX mounts.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51139774746_9b3eb97273_b-1.jpg

The HX will be leaned back about 1/2" in, but for the picture was leaned forward.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51139099037_40643c9411_b-1.jpg

Lower mounts, done. Now onto the upper mounts. After scratching my head and looking for pieces of metal for inspiration I found what I needed. Sorry honey, we don't need this shelf anymore. Haha. Hot rodding at it's finest. These little brackets were perfect for what I needed. I'm so happy with the way that they turned out. I literally just put a few bends in them and tweaked slightly and they fit like it was made for this application. The two HX mounting holes on each bracket were perfectly spaced, just needed to be slightly drilled out. I had targeted a hole on the upper core support and the hole on the bracket lined up and was centered perfectly!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51140547469_75171ba02e_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51139986713_27ea17b8f2_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51139772781_364032e512_b-1.jpg

I figured that I got lucky on the first one and it would take more effort to mirror the second one. The car gods were looking out for me and I matched the same angle as the passenger side and it fit identical to the other side!! I was so shocked that it worked out that nicely for me. That had to be one of the easiest jobs I've done on this car.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51140874505_95d07e8bfa_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51139985723_cbeed8ef8d_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51139985803_0221432b8d_b-1.jpg

Then I reinstalled the radiator. I love bolting on existing parts. A few bolts and one wiring connector. Lower hose was the same, but I'll need a new upper to be made/bought.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51140873365_a513d3afe4_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51139770161_8eb5ecbe04_b-1.jpg

I also had to figure out what to do with the booster hose. The ZL1 hose I bought is 1/2", but the booster fitting I have is 3/8". After looking around my garage I found a cap that just happened to have the same OD as the ID of the 1/2" hose. So I cut the end off of it and installed the sleeve. The hose also was a two piece design with a coupler in the middle. So shortened center of the hose and put it all back together. Couldn't ask for better fitment.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51139984753_7cee88d2a3_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51139094127_8f4285b7d1_b-1.jpg

I was able to reuse my metal tube for the CAI by shortening it by ~5" and tweaked the mount slightly and it worked like it did with my LS1. I just had to use the 45 degree coupler vs the 90 degree I used before. I think the filter on it now is 6" which could be a restriction so I'm planning to eventually by a 8" or 9" Green Filter. But for now I want to get the car up and running. Easy change later.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51139768721_52cfd4c133_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51139094227_bc6f11c14b_b-1.jpg

I also was playing around with the wiring a bit to see what all needed to be addressed. I wanted to get everything hooked up to confirm that it all functions before I tuck it all up and make it tidy. I've been there before where there is a problem and you have to undo the nice clean work... I built my own 2 pin to 4 pin CAN adapter for my Holley harness, but I built mine from a splitter I bought on eBay. Nicely built splitter, almost a shame to cut it up. I needed the splitter though since I'll be using both my 3.5" touchscreen, USB cable and the Dakota Digital CAN signal for the gauges.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51139778261_4dc1b53611_b-1.jpg

Looks like a terrible mess, but in reality is very close to being done.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51139777951_77efe004c8_b-1.jpg

I was so happy when I fit my exhaust up that it will clear my new driveshaft. I was thinking I may have to modify it, but so glad I don't have to. I'm really down to some really basic things before I can get fire up the car. Biggest thing is where I want to mount the HX pump and then routing the coolant lines. After that I need to button up some wiring, fill all fluids, bleed my clutch, build/buy a new upper radiator hose, prime the oil pump, and turn the key. I'll plug away at these things this week and maybe I'll take Friday afternoon off.

Cheers,
Ryan

[JMG-63]

Ryan,

Can't help but to blame you. Your build had me lusting for a '67 Camaro since I first stumbled on it. I say "had" because this morning I wired the funds to the seller of a '67 RS/SS Camaro. Should have it in a few weeks depending on shipper availability.

Thanks for re-sparking the interest, I sold my last of 3 '67 Camaros (67RS) in 1991. Now if I can just leave this one stock enough - long enough to finish my '55.

Jeff

[ryeguy2006a]

Haha, that's great! You'd better stay off this site if you want to keep it stock. The fact that you are hoping to leave it stock is a bad sign haha. Let me know when you get sick of the '55 :look:

Also thought I'd post this up since I had a question about it before. There is a square stock that I welded to the bottom side of the bracket so that it won't rotate.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/04/51146001040_6808e1a166_b-1.jpg

[csouth]

Man, you've made a lot of progress over there. You're coming down the homestretch...

[Jonathonar89]

Man, you've made a lot of progress over there. You're coming down the homestretch...

I declare this guy a badass. Got a young family to take care of, built this car from the ground up the past 5 years, drove it and now nearing completion of a full drivetrain upgrade/redo just over one winter.

I’m just trying to get mine going before it turns a decade of not driving it hahaha. Got two more years to go before I hit that point.

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks man, I appreciate that. It's certainly been a juggling act and most importantly, I have a very understanding wife.

Last Friday night I made a big push to button up all of the remaining items on my punch list. The biggest thing was mounting my heat exchanger pump and routing all of the lines without kinking them. I've been thinking about the placement of the lines for about a week now and finally am happy with this location. By mounting it here I didn't need to drill any holes in the core support and the hoses had a sweeping angles so there aren't any hard turns or kinks.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51154569582_a88a88a677_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51155473378_cc999acac4_b-1.jpg

The BMW CWA50 pump uses a quick connect fitting for the inlet, which I was able to source from RockAuto. It was for a heater hose off of a 2005ish VW Golf.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51155411573_caf6b15638_b-1.jpg

Then I routed all of the hoses as neatly as I could.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51155415858_c37c66d96d_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51155176391_bd45b33291_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51155411533_61229aeb59_b-1.jpg

Then after final fitment, I realized that I needed to notch the center support bracket just slightly so the heat exchanger bracket I made would fit better.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51155175956_ba75a3b130_b-1.jpg

I painted and reinstalled the upright supports for the heat exchanger. Then reinstalled the center support, horn and hood latch.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51154507097_71bab9f9a1_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51155962129_6e82d81808_b-1.jpg

I got some black annodized check valves, 3:1 heat shrink with glue, and an assorted clamp set to finish things up.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51155175731_030204234c_b-1.jpg

I'm not sure if it's 100% needed, but I also bought this inline PCV valve that was recommended by Holley per their instructions for their tall valve covers. I may end up removing it since I also have one in my valley cover.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51156284885_1906bf8d8a_b-1.jpg

Then it was time to fill or top off all of my fluids. Trans, rear diff, PS pump, and the engine. Not sure if it was entirely necessary, but I used this crazy contraption to pump oil into the galleys. It's hard to say if it worked or not and it was certainly messy.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51155410208_51c6620792_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51155174771_0e287ee925_b-1.jpg

Then I got everything plugged back in and realized that my GM oil pressure sensor was junk... I figured it was a long shot since it was a used sensor. I ordered two sensors from Lowdollar Motorsports and they showed up really quickly.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51154505657_916ceb5222_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51158381440_56bccceacd_b-1.jpg

After working all night Friday and a few hours Saturday morning now it was time. I set up my base tune, all the fluids were topped off and everything was as ready as it could be. Finally turned the key and it coughed a few times and nothing. Just would crank, no fire. After walking away for a day and coming back I was able to determine that it was a user error. I somehow flipped the odd and even coil connectors so the engine was the equivalent of being 180* out on a motor with a distributor. I didn't have enough time Sunday to work on it any further, but after flipping those quickly on my lunchbreak yesterday, I tried again with success! What a great feeling that it fired up pretty quickly once all the connections were right. I was nervous about the oil pressure since it was a brand new motor, but it came right up within 1-2 seconds and had a steady 60 psi.

https://youtu.be/soeYhoMNaeU

Now what was the biggest tease is that I had a stubborn clutch that didn't want to bleed. I had the Speedbleeder from Tick, but it still didn't want to bleed. Since the remote bleeder is so long, I just cracked the bleeder and put it in the reservoir overnight. I went out last night to button up a few coolant hose leaks I had and tried to bleed it again. Then finally after about 5 mins there was a huge bubble that came out of the bleeder and that was it. Clutch pedal was great now. I switched from the 7/8" bore that came with the Tick kit, to a 3/4" bore to make the pedal a little softer. Last year I found that the clutch was very touchy and had a very narrow window for a perfect release. I'm very happy with the slightly longer travel and not having the pressure so heavy. Should make for a much more enjoyable drive.

I cleaned everything up and snapped a few pictures. Very pleased with the outcome. The weather is supposed to be decent at lunchtime today so I'm going to get some break in miles under my belt.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51156608997_cd71e36f57_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51158380730_9356d358b2_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51156608072_3bb64e6f38_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51157510063_dbbd8829f9_b-1.jpg

Cheers,
Ryan

[JMG-63]

Congrats Ryan.

Your hard work paid off - she sounds great. I'm standing by for the test drive results.

Jeff

[andrewb70]

That Summit Ghost cam sure idles nice.

Andrew

[csouth]

Very nice!!! Glad you got it all together.

Check out the Pontiac G8 upper radiator hose if you want a 1pc setup. It's what I used on my install.

[mnr60]

Great job Ryan!

[Woodsie]

Impressive work man. It sounds great! How did the break in go?

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks guys, I appreciate it. I am happy to report that I was able to take the car out on the maiden voyage with the new drivetrain. Since I'm still working from home I was able to get the car out for 20 mins or so on my lunchbreak. Keep in mind that the motor is a fresh rebuild so I need to take it easy for the first few hundred miles. Although I have a buddy who brought up a good point. When you buy a crate motor, or any of the engine rebuilders, they break the motor in for about 15-20 mins., then put it right on the engine dyno for full WOT pulls. He's built hundreds of motors and helped with countless others at a big shop down in Charlotte. So I trust what he says, but still made me nervous haha.

That said, I didn't take the car over 4k rpms this time. I was listening for any strange motor sounds, driveline vibrations, watching the oil pressure, watching IAT's (can get very hot because of the supercharger), watching coolant temp, feeling out the transmission, shifting gears, getting a feel for the new clutch and etc. I'm happy to report that the oil pressure cold was about 60 psi, and warm idle was around 35 psi. Right where I wanted them to be. IAT's were higher than I'd like, so I need to check into that. Coolant also got warmer than I'd like at around 200-205. Fans come on around 195, and before with the LS1 it would hit about 198 and then drop to 185 pretty quickly. I think there may be a bubble in the motor somewhere.

The transmission was also something I have been worried about since I tore it completely down. I'm happy to report that it shifts great, and the Hurst Blackjack shifter makes for an incredibly short shift. That is something I need to get used to. It's about a ~3" throw, which is much different than the Pro 5.0 that I had last year. I also now know what everyone means by the T56 being a notchy transmission. Whenever I would change gears last year there was always this little mechanical "notch" that you would feel before you went into a gear. 4th gear in particular had a notch that was more pronounced and would actually grind occasionally which I think was a bad synchro. This year is completely different. Gear shifts are buttery smooth and it just slides into gear. I'm so happy that I didn't seriously mess something up when I re-assembled as well as that the trans was healthy since it was a used unit. VERY happy about that. The transmission shifting is so smooth with the gear shifts which is something I pleasantly surprised with.

Another thing that I changed was something I had planned on doing regardless of my engine/trans swap. I am running a 4th gen Camaro clutch master kit from Tick and when you get it from them it comes with a 7/8" bore Tilton unit. While this makes for a short throw, it makes the clutch pedal more stiff and also made for a very narrow window for a smooth gear change. I swapped it out for a 3/4" unit that added ~1.5" to the throw, but is so much more enjoyable to shift gears. The sweet spot for clutch engagement is wider so it takes less thought to shift smoothly as well as a more stock feeling pedal feel. I'd say it's only slightly more stiff than "stock", but it's to be expected with a twin disk clutch.

So far I've only had one leak, which was an easy fix since it was just a coolant hose. Needed a different hose clamp since the one I had was a little wonky. My diff isn't leaking which is a huge win!

Overall I couldn't be happier with my first outing, and my first impressions are that this is going to be a beast of a car. I kept running out of gear when I would hit the throttle. I have a lot of work to do on my tune, but the engine would pull hard. Chirps the tires without trying to. :shock: It's really going to be a handful, and I like that.

It's funny I'm relived that the car is back up and running again, but now I have a laundry list of things that I need to do to get the car running better.

Figure out why the coolant temp is getting higher
Why I have higher IAT's ~60 degrees over ambient
Lower the fuel pressure. Since I have 850cc injectors for when I run flex fuel, I lowered to 43psi in the tune, but my actual is about 65-67psi.
It surges at idle when hot, so I need to adjust the blade position and/or adjust the IAC settings
Integrate VSS into the tune so that I can have the reverse lockout function like stock. Right now I have it set to activate when the TPS is under 2%, but when I lift to shift it was open, so that's not good. I think I'll add a secondary condition to something like MAP input.
General cleanup of the tune
Need to replace my battery. It is weak and didn't want to re-start.

That's all I have for now. Hope to get some real seat time this weekend.

[ryeguy2006a]

Ok, time for an update! I've mostly been driving the car and tweaking my tunes to get the car to perform how I want it. I'm no professional by any stretch of the imagination, but I've got the car running pretty good. One little detail was just not right for me however. The engine wasn't building boost the way that I was expecting and to be honest, I was a little disappointed. It didn't want to build any boost over 100 kpa (0 psi, WOT, or atmosphere) in gears 1, 2, or 3. It would start to build about 4-5 psi in 4th gear, and I would see full boost 11-12 psi (180ish KPA) in 5th and 6th. While glad to see the boost numbers, the upper gears aren't ideal for building the boost on the street. After spending hours reading on the internet and the owner of Boost District, Roshan and I did a video chat. Can't say enough good things about that customer service, especially since I wasn't even a customer of his! Would direct anyone to his site if you are thinking of an LSA supercharger, or parts for one.

During the chat he had me do a few diagnostic checks and confirmed that everything was functioning correctly. I was leaning toward it, but he was convinced that it was a weak bypass valve that was causing the issue. Basically anytime the vacuum drops below about 70kpa, the motor should be building boost. That generally comes on right off of idle around 1200-1500 rpm.

I bought a new Bypass valve and compared it with the old one. While the old one looked to be in good shape, the spring tension on the new was noticeably more stiff and did hold the vacuum better. I got it installed Saturday afternoon and took it around the block for a test drive. Now, with the old bypass the thought went through my mind, "What is all the fuss over these superchargers?". After the new fully functioning bypass installed I totally understand what the fuss is all about. It felt like a completely different car and was blowing the tires on command. I was starting to build boost right off of idle, and would quickly ramp up to 200 kpa (14psi) in any gear now. What a simple fix and what a night and day difference! I only got a chance to do a quick drive, but what a difference that made. I'm not 110% happy with this swap, and is fully meeting my expectations of what the LSA supercharger would do. Time to change my pants and get more seat time, haha.

Earlier in the week I was browsing the Holley FB posts and came across a guy selling a Terminator X Max ECU and wideband sensor for not much more than a new stock X ECU. Both were new and never installed because he immediately upgraded to Dominator. I sent him a message and he came down on his price even more, so I bought it. When I first bought my Terminator X, I didn't go with the X Max because I had no plans to go DBW or Auto trans, but what I didn't realize until afterwards that you can easily use the speed sensor input for the auto trans for the T56. The trouble with the VSS signal with the T56 is that Holley won't read a VR sine wave signal, but would need a square wave signal to read properly. But the X Max can read that signal. What it is important for me is now I can easily use an output to control my Reverse Lockout. I can also now upgrade to use the DBW throttlebody in the future. I have the pedal and TB, just need the harness to complete.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51199728211_9562f36aa9_b-1.jpg

Here is a J4 connector and pins so that I can give Holley the VSS signal from my trans. I also found out that pin B17 is an input for the trans temperature and because my TR6060 hybrid trans has a temp sensor on it, I'm going to tap into it and see if it will read properly.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51200794370_e0bfbf22ef_b-1.jpg

When I build my glove box panel, it was just big enough for the base X ECU, but the X Max is a little over 2" longer so I had to modify my panel. It's not pretty, but it is hidden. Had to drill some holes to access the upper mounting holes for the ECU.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51199017317_6700c68375_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51200507514_ef1624f06a_b-1.jpg

All tucked away and reinstalled. It took a little bit of playing around, but I got the settings right to have the ECU read speed and the reverse lockout functions just like stock. Love that!!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51200793130_ecab440f0e_b-1.jpg

I also ordered a set of 3" mandrel bent tailpipes for 67-69 Camaro hoping that they would be able less work to bolt in. Wrong, they didn't even come close with my mufflers. Now I need to decide if I want to get new mufflers and then make it all work, or add these tailpipes to what I have now. Flowmaster super 60's. My car sounds amazing, but is just too loud. I need to quiet it way down. Any muffler suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Leaning towards Hooker Aeroflow.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51199725811_0dc63e8734_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51200506049_34ef678144_b-1.jpg

Lastly for this update, I noticed after my drive Saturday that my shifter is now leaking... It's a Hurst Blackjack shifter and I love the feel of how it shifts and is very precise. I'm going to call them to see what can be done to fix this leak. I think it's coming up the seal and into the top cup. It's on top of the shifter plate, so I'm confident it's not the shifter base seal. The top plate comes off with 4 allen keys, so I'm going to pull that off and see if I can possibly clean it up and seal with silicone or what Holley tech has to say.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51200791125_14972f0c0c_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/05/51199727421_c5f54bdd89_b-1.jpg

Hopefully I can get my mufflers quieted down, seats bolted back in and can take the family out for a cruise. I have about 30 more miles before I change out the break in oil and cut open the oil filter. The motor feels really tight, but I want to cut the filter just to know what's going on inside the motor.

Cheers,
​​​​​​​Ryan

[JMG-63]

Ryan,

I bet you can't wipe that smile off your face now that you can anialate those poor tires at will. Awesome job with the swap and integration, wish I had your skills.

Jeff

[ryeguy2006a]

Jeff, Now that the car is running 100% you are exactly right. I'm incredibly happy with this setup.

It took a little longer than I hoped to get an update, but I finally was able to get things complete enough to take it for a test drive last night. All I can say is WOW. When that boost comes on it just pulls so hard. Right now I think it does more of blowing the tires off, but I'm ok with that for now. I'd like to get a sticker set of 275 tires to see what happens when that power gets to the ground! I need to be careful because last night I punched it in 4th and when I got out of it I was over 100 mph! It went from 50 to 100 very quickly. I don't think I ever posted a picture of the new bypass valve. Brand new from GM.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51219319322_b81c42cb5f_b-1.jpg

After the test drive I doublechecked to see if my fix for the leaky shifter worked, and I'm happy to report no more leaks! I had to take apart the top shifter assembly and diagnose why it was leaking in the first place. I popped off the top cover and took apart the upper assembly that holds the fulcrum.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51220030071_63b7d49f1c_b-1.jpg

Here you can see that it was leaking all around that bottom plate and appears to come out on the right side.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51220030071_63b7d49f1c_b-1.jpg

Upon further inspection, it appears that there was some thread sealant that wasn't allowing that to sit flush against the lower plate.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51221084475_41d207a996_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51220776849_4f210709da_b-1.jpg

So I cleaned that all off and dabbed a tiny amount of silicone around the fulcrum base when I reinstalled. I also added some thread tape to the four bolts that attach the upper and lower together. Just a little added insurance since they protrude into the trans case and are exposed to fluid.

While this was all happening I also needed to quiet down the car. While it sounded fantastic with the Flowmaster 50's, it would make my ears ring after every drive. So they had to go if I wanted anyone in my family to ride with me. After a bunch of sound clips, research and feedback from car buddies, I decided on a pair of Borla ProXS with a 14" case. They were significantly smaller than the 50's that came off of the car so I was actually able to tuck up my exhaust a little higher than before. I had to trim about 4" off of the pipes that come right before the mufflers to push them forward for a better approach to install the tail pipes. Minor modification, but necessary.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51221083700_5827eb9f91_b-1.jpg

Next up was a pair of 3" Mandrel bent tail pipes from Flowmaster. While they didn't fit out of the box, I think that was completely my fault as I build my own exhaust from scratch. My mufflers are at an angle while the tail pipes are straight. So I just had to make a small cut to give the angle needed for my exhaust. My new band saw made quick work of that and gave a straight cut to just turn and weld.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51219296307_0304bf85d1_b-1.jpg

The passenger side fit up really nicely and gave me plenty of room around the leaf and quarter panel. The driver side ended up being about 2" more rearward, so I ended up cutting it out of a straight section I had to match the passenger. Got it all welded up and re-installed. I still need to trim a little bit off of the end, but I'm very happy with the placement. I'm also debating on leaving it as is, or cutting it at an angle to match the quarter panel. For now I'm going to leave it straight and see how I feel about it.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51220008086_93dbc32a3b_b-1.jpg

Now for full transparency, the exhaust hangers are not finished, but I they are currently secured to the chassis. I am using the same rubber isolator mounts from before that are solid, but will need to be modified for the new location of the mufflers. The tail pipes may or may not be held up with mechanics wire, but I'll never tell... I have some proper hangers on order now, so once they come in I'll be able to get a final position for the tail pipes so I can get the tips just right.

Next up is to get my wiring cleaned up, the interior completely reinstalled and put some miles on her. Oh and maybe give it a bath haha.

Cheers,
Ryan

[ryeguy2006a]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V063nUHHJfw

Not the greatest video, but they sound really good. Maybe it's just going to take some getting used to, but inside the car doesn't have the greatest sound. But when my dad sat in the car and revved it for me, damn did it sound amazing. Although it doesn't sound as good in the cabin as I was thinking, it's significantly quieter. I think that the tradeoff is well worth it.

[TANKMASTERJ]

Ryan
Is that raptor I see around your shifter ? If so is there any interior cabin smell?
If not raptor then?
Couple people have told me don't use any bed liner in the interior cabin due to long term fumes. Looking for verification of that.
Jason

[ryeguy2006a]

Not Raptor. My whole car has FatMat for the sound deadner. I may end up pulling the carpet and adding a second layer though. I'd like to quiet it down a little more even with the quieter mufflers.

[Motown 454]

Sounds sweet Ryan. It's amazing that little bit on the bottom caused a leak. Glad you got it fixed.

[ryeguy2006a]

Yep, pretty crazy. I think that and the silicone helped "seal" the deal. :box:

[ryeguy2006a]

It's been a few weeks since I posted. Finally took some time to clean up the wiring and tuck it nicely under the dash. I also installed the Custom Auto Sound radio that I picked up. It sounds great and I loaded it up with 1k songs and a flash drive for cruising. It sounds really good and looks way better than that double din unit I had under the dash last year.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51262408254_6607b2f554_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51262708290_a4779476aa_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51260937097_9c673eab6a_b-1.jpg

I got all of my oil around to do my first oil change on the new motor. I've driven it around 200 miles on the break-in oil and decided it was time to get that oil out of there. At the suggestion of many of my friends who build motors, I wanted to cut the filter open to see what debris it collected. So I bought a used pipe cutter on eBay that would cut up to a 3" pipe. It was way cheaper than the dedicated filter cutters that I found. Not pretty, but I like the patina on it.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51262408864_7ddc2d6dc4_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51262708980_05ed6cb5cf_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51262408569_95b09bbef9_b-1.jpg

Unfortunately, I started having problems (I think coincidentally) after I installed my tailpipes. The car was running great, but then slowly started to develop a strange AFR spike. Almost like someone was turning a switch on and off. It would be cruising along at 14.7 right where I commanded it, then spike to 22+ and the car would nose over slightly. Give it throttle and it would clear up, but as soon as you drop down to a normal 5-10% TPS, it would start doing that again. I thought it was in my tune, but after logging it and checking things out, I think I have a hardware issue.

I pulled the plugs and understandably they were all indicating rich. Since it was dumping fuel to compensate for that lean condition. Plug 2 looks cleaner because I cleaned it off. All the others were as removed.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51261658571_eda2c58c41_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51262708560_6f7d49130a_b-1.jpg

Now I think this may have been unrelated, but I found that Cylinder 7 had the strap pushed down and not sure if was even delivering spark. Would explain the fuel smell I have had especially at idle. But this was on the driver's side and my wideband is on the passenger side. So this wouldn't have explained the lean issue I was having.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51262408339_c53861130e_b-1.jpg

At this point, I'm leaning towards a clogged/bad injector. I need to pull them out and inspect. I'm really hoping that is the case and not something deeper in the motor... Here is a screenshot of the log that I took where you can see it going crazy. The yellow line is where Closed Loop was turning on and off. As soon as it transitions the compensation spikes. The upper red line is AFR which is happy and where it should be, then something happens and the middle of the chart it spikes over 20 AFR.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51260937662_ff115afce5_b-1.jpg

Hopefully I can get this figured out soon. I'm missing out on some prime cruising weather. On a good note, I've officially fixed all the leaks on the car. I had a leaking pinion ever since I put the car together, but when I replaced the yoke, new seal and sealed the splines it hasn't leaked a drop. I also got the shifter leak fixed, and the few coolant leaks fixed. Hopefully I get this fueling issue fixed and I'll be back in business. I've got some brand new NKG plugs for when I get this straightened out. For now I'm just going to re-use these one's so I don't contaminate a fresh set.

Cheers,
​​​​​​​Ryan

[Hotwire]

Grab some Delco R44LTSM plugs, they're inexpensive, don't need to run platinum tips on your car. Unless you don't plan to change the plugs for 100k :smoke: Also remember that higher combustion pressure means you have to run less gap as it can "blow out" the spark. Higher density in the combustion chamber makes it harder for the spark to jump the gap, so as you raise boost you need to tighten the plug gap to compensate.

Quick check of your injectors would be to hook up a fuel pressure gauge, prime your system, then pull power to the pump and fire the car. Watch the fuel pressure gauge needle as it's firing. A constant tick down like a stop watch is what you're looking for. If you see a notch in the needle then you have a injector not firing. If you have a infrared temp gun check your primary temps too, should be the same across the board.

What's the light blue line in the log?

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks Jeff! I have a set of NGK BR7EF on my shelf but I wanted to get my tune up closer before I swapped in the new plugs. Maybe I need to just get them installed now and see if that may be my issue. What would you suggest gapping them to? I see a lot of CTSV guys gapping them around .028-.032. I was planning to split the difference at .030.

Another thing I was thinking about doing is swapping the wideband to the driver's side. I have a bung in each side from when I was running the LS1 and stock ECU.

I'll test out that method you suggest for the injectors. I pulled them out on my lunch break, and didn't see anything obvious.

The light blue is CL compensation. It goes crazy when the AFR spikes.

[Vimes]

Do you know how that plug ground strap came to be bent like that? Either it was dropped by you, which I hope is what happened, or the piston hit it, which would be bad. Since it's a new engine, it would be worthwhile to see how close the piston is getting to the spark plug at TDC. If you run it near redline, the connecting rods do stretch just a bit, and you might have been tapping the ground strap on that plug. It would be worth discussing with your engine builder. They also make plugs of differing depths for different engines, you may just need a slightly shorter spark plug. Since it's only affected the one, I'm going to guess that when installed that particular plug had the ground strap facing directly at the piston, and the other 7 happened to not be facing the piston since none of the others were damaged. You can check that by reinstalling the damaged plug and a couple of the others, and when installed mark the top of the plug ceramic with a marker so you can see where the ground strap was when you pull the plugs back out.

[ryeguy2006a]

I'm back with an update and bearing good news. I found the source of my troubles! I had a bad spark plug wire where it contacts the spark plug. The terminal didn't "click" into place like it should normally and was loose fitting on the plug. It was a brand new spare MSD wire I had on the shelf and it was the last one I would have suspected. I test fit another spare I had and it clicked on tightly, so I swapped that one onto the car. I also installed the new spark plugs and it runs great, just like it did before. But the greatest thing is my fuel smell is almost completely gone now. I must have been running with that dead cylinder this whole time assuming it was my tune up. So word to the wise, check your plugs! The strange thing is I did check the header tubes and they were all hot enough to boil water when I sprayed them. I guess I need a thermal IR gun to confirm in the future.

Here is a comparison of the NGK BR7EF plugs to the Denso that I had in it. You can see how much taller the Denso is. I did use a borescope to check out the cylinders and pistons, especially Cylinder 8 where I had that damaged plug. I saw zero damage and nothing unusual. That was a huge relief.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51271074500_05d2d53541_b-1.jpg

In the meantime before I figured out it was the plug wire, I bought this neat little kit online that allows you to clean your injectors. It's a little adapter that goes on top of a carb/brake clean can and has a hole fit for an injector. It also came with a little harness with gator clips to activate the injector. I confirmed that I had a clean spray pattern on all the injectors, but I suppose it was good preventative maintenance if anything. It was super cheap on Amazon, $12.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51269301772_3f27583e21_b-1.jpg

I also forgot to share my father's day gift from the family. Some new Astrovents for my dash. The one's I have in there now are originals that look ok from a few feet away, but didn't work well and were pealing. These will make for a nice upgrade!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51261863343_5943a29ba7_b-1.jpg

Now that the car is back on the road and firing on all 8 cylinders, it is an absolute blast to drive. It didn't seem to give a clean sweep from idle up and always had a little gas smell. With the new plugs (ordered some new plug wires too, but they are on the way) it was really easy to tuned up. Since I was having issues, I started with a fresh fuel table and a revised AFR table. It only took a few minutes of driving around for the fuel learning to kick in and it cleaned up really nicely. I thought I was happy with the tune before, but I'm way happier now. It runs really well now. Very responsive and idles perfectly. In my driving around I was able to clean up a slight bog off idle which was my only real issue I had before. On the way home I got a little brave and goosed it around a truck. Was going around 60 at the time, but to my surprise when I downshifted it broke the tires loose! This newfound power is definitely going to take some getting used to. Next on the list is a set of sticky tires!

I'm hoping to change the oil tonight and get it cleaned up for a car show in town. I've shared with a few people the issues that I was having with my Dad's 71 Chevelle and we finally figured that out with his car about a month ago. So this is the first time that we both have running/driving cars and can attend a show at the same time. Really stoked to park our cars next to one another. I'll post some pictures after the show.

Cheers,
​​​​​​​Ryan

[Motown 454]

I like the injector cleaner, real reasonable too. Those vents should brighten up the dash!

[Vimes]

Glad you found the ignition problem. A couple of thousandths on a spark plug doesn't seem like much at all, but it is. An 8th of an inch like that appears to be may as well be 8 miles. :cool: I didn't think you'd find any damage in there, that ground strap on the dead cylinder looked like it was just barely being kissed by the piston, and then probably only when you hit redline.

[csouth]

Very nice!... That power and be a little scary especially when its unexpected.

[ryeguy2006a]

Vimes, you are totally right. When it comes to motor building, every measurement counts. I think that was something I simply overlooked. Very glad it didn't damage anything!

Chris, yes I am going to be more careful next time. I can foresee my time on the AutoX track in July will be spinning all around.

Great news is that my dad and I were able to make the car show and it was uneventful. No tow trucks, or any funny business. Both of our cars are running great and it was really cool having him there with me. My little guy helped me get the car all cleaned up so that was a fun time with him. I put some water in that spray bottle and he emptied it twice on the car and wheels.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51276440498_e09222d900_b-1.jpg

I completely forgot to get some pictures, but one of my dad's friends was there and took pictures of all the cars. They sent them to us thankfully, but aren't full resolution.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51277003204_f911d18b73_z-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51276443358_0e634b5d54_z-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51275521962_905d591850_b-1.jpg

My son loved checking out this firetruck that was there.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51276440373_758c87440c_b-1.jpg

I already bought the upper radiator hose to replace the makeshift one that I bought to get the car up and running. When I was at the show, I had no less than 6 people mention that my upper hose was weeping. Well that was it, time to replace that hose.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51277296415_2bfba02261_b-1.jpg

Much better!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51277296415_2bfba02261_b-1.jpg

I also cleaned up the engine bay and snapped some pictures. Here's the engine bay all detailed and in it's final form. The only changes that I may make in the future may be some cooling modifications for the supercharger's heat exchanger. Some ducting to direct air across the heat exchanger, a possible rework of the mounts that will integrate in a dedicated cooling fan and adding a larger reservoir.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51277541915_6b9562376a_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51277244629_43bfb45686_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51277244574_81a976cf39_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/06/51277244549_d89db21cc2_b-1.jpg

Cheers,
​​​​​​​Ryan

[Jonathonar89]

Man, it seems like you’re at the point of just doing fun stuff and cruising around with the car. I was scared the car would snowball into a big project when you took on the engine swap but you got it done. Good job man!

Got any upgrades you’re thinking of in the future?

[ryeguy2006a]

Haha, but it did snowball into a big project! Remember how this started as a mild L92 rebuild and it somehow evolved into an LSA swap and full motor/transmission rebuild?? I somehow managed to get it all done and the car is better than ever. I'm really pleased with how it all came together.

Future upgrades will be getting new seats, or recovering the ones I have. Not a big priority in the near term though since I'll have the car seats in it for the next few years. The next will be some traction related updates. I'm hoping to find a set of the biggest tires I can fit in my stock tubs. I may try to do some mini-tubs at some point in the next few years but keep the leaf springs. See what the biggest tire I can get with that setup. That won't be for a long time though. I want to just hop in it and go and kinda tired of working on it all the time. I think part of my problem is I enjoy working on them as much as driving them, but this year cut into my driving time. Glad it's all sorted now though.

[thumper877]

Looks great. Wish my dad was still around to do things like that. Love the chevelle too!

[slazisme]

Lots of changes going since the last time I checked in, upgraded trans and engine, ECM.........nice!
Wanted to ask whether that rad with the single fan are up to the task, does it cool your new setup okay?

[ryeguy2006a]

It's funny that you bring that up. So far with all the driving I've done it has been keeping the engine cool and right around 195 where I want it to be. However yesterday which was 90*+ in NY it started to creep up into the 200's. The most concerning for me though was my IAT's that crept up to around 150! I think between the adding supercharger and heat exchanger that sits in front of the radiator that I'm hitting my limits on the 14" fan. I'm a little puzzled by the high IAT's though since my current setup was doing a pretty good job of keeping me around 25* above ambient. I'm not sure if I'm somehow getting hot air from the radiator that is sucking into the CAI, or if the shrouding of the Heat Exchanger will make the difference. Let the Trial and Error begin!

[andrewb70]

It's funny that you bring that up. So far with all the driving I've done it has been keeping the engine cool and right around 195 where I want it to be. However yesterday which was 90*+ in NY it started to creep up into the 200's. The most concerning for me though was my IAT's that crept up to around 150! I think between the adding supercharger and heat exchanger that sits in front of the radiator that I'm hitting my limits on the 14" fan. I'm a little puzzled by the high IAT's though since my current setup was doing a pretty good job of keeping me around 25* above ambient. I'm not sure if I'm somehow getting hot air from the radiator that is sucking into the CAI, or if the shrouding of the Heat Exchanger will make the difference. Let the Trial and Error begin!

Time for a real fan...C7...6th gen Camaro...Volt...whatever fits.

[joeko23]

Ryan, do you have the stock thermostat (195)? If so those temps are normal. I have the stock thermostat in mine and I feel like it only opens around 210, then the temp drops to about 205 and just says there. I had the car idling for over 30 mins in 90+ degree and it didn’t budge over 206.

As far as iat, hook up the intercooler pump to run without the engine and see if it stop at any point. If it does you have air in the system. When I was filling my system up, I contanstly had to add more coolant, turn the pump on, then it turned off, I would add more coolant, and squeeze all the hoses, jiggle them etc. add more coolant turn on the pump again and repeat many many times until the pump ran non stop for 30 mins or so. Here is a video I followed it worked for me. I bought the 1” inside hose about 8” and filled with coolant. When the level didn’t drop anymore while the pump is running that’s a good indication that the air is out. But I think the key is really to squeeze the hoses, jiggle them etc. you have pretty long hoses since you have the CTSV hat and you routed them through the fender, I bet you have a bunch more air in the system.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QgNS9fVJbco

[ryeguy2006a]

I do have a stock thermostat, but I thought that they were a 187* unit, not 195*.

I did my best to purge the air out and did just like you described by continuing to add coolant. It's at a point where it seems full and doesn't need anymore coolant but maybe I'll play around with it to see if there is a pocket trapped somewhere. I also have a larger Edelbrock reservoir that I am going to add to see if that helps. I'm in the process of modifying the mounts for the HX so that I can gain more room to potentially add a fan behind the HX while also adding some shrouds to seal it better to the radiator. I'll report back my findings.

[eviltwin_1987]

Making a shroud to isolate the filter from the engine heat would probably help as well.

[slazisme]

Regarding the air in your system, I remember reading somewhere that using one of these help keeping air out of the cooling system when filling.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095447Z36/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B095447Z36&pd_rd_w=aWRWf&pf_rd_p=80360d1c-2d74-4d2e-9034-f92fb5248b33&pd_rd_wg=V3Qic&pf_rd_r=H3JQPM3FYGC3Y98N4D9G&pd_rd_r=748afef4-b313-47de-81c0-86bf9588c2e9&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyMVRLQUlPUUk1OTVPJ mVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDQ5NTI4VDhCUVpZNldUSlhOJmVuY3J 5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA2NjI2NjcxWDFIUk5VV0JIWFAyJndpZGdld E5hbWU9c3BfZGV0YWlsJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmR vTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
Another tip when filling is to jack up the front end, getting the air pocket to rise up, worth a try.

[Bugzilla]

You have to keep in mind that even though the stock thermostat is a 187°, its on the lower hose which is the cold side. That meaning the water coming out of the cold side of the radiator needs to be 187° before the t-stat opens. Typically that puts the head temp around 205° when its actually open (depends greatly on the radiator too). LS engines like running hot, so even if you were to get up to 220°, I wouldnt worry about it.

What are you doing about the bleed ports on the top of the heads? Did you block all 4 corners? Bypass on the front ones? Do you crack the bleed ports open after its full of coolant?

[ryeguy2006a]

Sounds like I need to make some adjustments to my fan on/off settings. I'm running the front crossover, the rears are factory riveted shut, but I did crack the bleeders to get all the air out. When I'm crusing normally the car runs around 189-192*, and I think my fan temps were like 198 on and off at 190. Maybe I'll do a 205/198. Any thoughts?

I finished up the shrouds for the HX, so I'm going to do some testing to see if that makes any difference to IAT's and/or ECT's.

[joeko23]

Try to Hotwire the intercooler pump so you can see if it runs continuously. Just to know for sure you don’t have air in the system.

[67coupe]

Long time lurker here, infrequent poster, but I just spent 2 days reading through all of this. LOL! I absolutely love this build and appreciate your documenting everything. It was very cool to see all of this come together. You've also created some great reference material for future folks.

Thanks so much for sharing everything!!

-Jason

[ryeguy2006a]

Hi Jason, thanks for the compliments. Glad that my build was your first post after all these years! That's a compliment in itself.

Thanks for all of the input and feedback guys. I used almost all of those tips and believe that I've fixed the high IAT issues. I'll get into that shortly. I finally got around to doing my first oil change to change out the break-in oil and assess for any bad news. I'll be honest I was kinda dreading this and put it off. I was pleasantly surprised to find no major metal shavings or chunks in the oil. To be expected after all new bearings, there was a slight amount of glitter in the filter, but nothing in the oil that I drained out.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51293912828_6640bff355_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51294450309_146748695b_b-1.jpg

Then I swapped on a new matching set of plug wires to get rid of the mismatched set I had before.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51293913298_5779f17624_b-1.jpg

I made some templates out of cardboard, and modified my HX brackets to tip the whole exchanger forward.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51294753120_2ebf0a6caa_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51294740585_e4ceca1a7e_b-1.jpg

Once I was happy with the fitment, I welded the brackets back together. I also removed the J-nuts that I had before and drilled/tapped the brackets so it all fit a little tighter.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51294740510_907ee76489_b-1.jpg

I was really happy with the cardboard templates, so I made some shrouds out of a spare piece of stainless plate I had.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51294450574_f744ddb938_b-1.jpg

Added some side filler plates and trimmed the upper piece up for a cleaner look.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51294740385_ced7c4f07b_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51293736721_ebda4650de_b-1.jpg

Hard to get a picture of the "finished" product, but I wanted to test it out before I went and painted everything. That way if I had to modify it, I wasn't re-doing anything. Took the car out for a drive and unfortunately it didn't seem to help much at all. Slightly lower, but the temps still crept up to about 140* AND it was a cooler day than when I had the really high temps. Then I hot wired the pump like was suggested and watched everything. Well come to find out after about 3-5 minutes of running the water gets aerated! The water looks almost gray. So then I would kick the pump on and watch the water flow through the stock clear reservoir. What was happening inside is that the high volume circulation pump I have was draining the feed hose before the return could feed it more coolant. Once it all leveled out, the water became aerated. Air mixed with the water doesn't bode well for cooling. Thankfully I bought an Edelbrock reservoir a few weeks ago so I quickly hooked that up to see if this would help. Well it certainly did as ended up adding around 60oz of water even though that reservoir is only about 32oz. I kept working the hoses and shaking the HX and more and more air bubbles came out.

Went out and tested again with the newly installed reservoir and Bingo, that was the issue. Air in the system and a powerful circulation pump that was draining the lines. Oh and the JD bottle was for spill support not moral support haha.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51293912803_51e3f90b62_b-1.jpg

After letting the car idle around this is what the temps ended up being. I bumped the on/off temps for my coolant too and that seemed to help with my radiator cooling too. It was about 78* when I took that picture.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51294739880_7c7d4712bf_b-1.jpg

Then I took the car to my favorite road, and let it spin through 3rd.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51293736391_d829503bcc_b-1.jpg

Going up my driveway I found this little guy running around. Had to chase him back into the fence haha. Sometimes I'm so glad that I have these guys as neighbors, rather than people haha.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51293912643_8f54f4bfd7_b-1.jpg

My dad and I went to another car show on the 4th that was about 20 mins away. All the temps kept in check and it was a good time. I remembered to take some pictures this time!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51293912413_667a2582b8_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51292988682_1184e076a2_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51293912383_8d40fc63f9_b-1.jpg

To top off a great day at a car show and the car running tip top, I looked down on the way home at my MPG's. Cruising around it was clocking around 20-22 mpg. I took a picture and sent it to a few of my buddies where on coast, it was clocking over 30+ mpg's haha.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51293735816_69ba65666f_b-1.jpg

Can't wait to put some more miles on it. Next Sunday I have my second AutoX event, so I'm really looking forward to that. So glad that I got all of the bugs worked out.

Cheers,
Ryan

[srode]

Gotta love the repurposing of the JD bottle :)

[Hotwire]

Great job Ryan!

To get a finer detail on your cut filter I usually do the following:

- get a cheap utility knife/ box cutter with the snap off blades, usually on the counter (like these. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L7RSHLR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_0G6FMFNTYNC2G851D76Z )
- cut the filter all the way through the pleats as close to the metal end caps as you can.
- fold the pleats together into a block, wrap in a shop rag, and place in a vice to squeeze as much oil out as you can. This takes a hair of patience to keep everything lined up while pressing. Makes viewing debris in the filter media much easier.
- spread pleats out and look it over with a good light, will be easy to see into the valleys for any trapped contaminants.

https://flic.kr/p/2kUZ4kC

Also on the fans, I've got a set of 02 Camaro fans on my chevelle that work great. If you have the room I recommend them. My radiator is a down flow design (original style) , have the fans wired like gm did in the Camaro, series in low, parallel in high, does the job.

Here's the dimensions. https://ls1tech.com/forums/conversions-hybrids/311360-98-02-f-body-ls1-fan-shroud-dimensions.html

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks for the tip Hotwire! I'll have to try that next time as I already pitched the filter...

I wanted to do a "stress test" to see if my current setup could hold temperature or if I needed to upgrade to a larger/better fan. I got my wish by accident and was stuck in stand still traffic earlier this week. It was around 80* and cruising down the highway the ECT was around 190-192 with the IAT was around 95. That's where the engine temps normally ran the last two years with the LS1, so I was stoked because it was really efficiently cooling the new motor AND the IAT's are right where they should be around 20* over ambient. Well that changed when I was in stand still traffic for about 15-20 mins. I changed the fan temps to come on at 200 off at 205, so the engine temps went up to around 205 pretty quickly and the IAT just slowly gained a degree or two every minute. I had to pick up my wife from the service department for her car, and by the time I got there the engine temps were around 225 and the IAT's were 140. The temps just slowly creeped up which tells me that the fan just couldn't keep up.

I was hoping to get through the summer with this fan, but I don't want to hurt something by pinching pennies, so I picked up a low mileage take off C7 fan. Not sure if I'll try and use the stock shroud or make my own mount in my existing shroud. I want to get my hands on it and I'll make that decision later. It should be a huge difference. My cheapo eBay fan is rated around 2000 CFM, but I extremely doubt that is true. Maybe half of that. I found a company online called DeWitts who tested the stock C7 600 watt fan vs their upgraded 19" fan. The stock fan tested at 2900+ CFM at 90% duty. This should work really nicely for my needs.

[ryeguy2006a]

I'm happy to report that the C7 fan install is now complete. I really liked how my current shroud covered the entire core so I wanted to find a way that I could mount the fan assembly to it. I started by removing the shroud and then test fitting the unmodified C7 fan.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51326821005_cdfc7cea54_b-1.jpg

The picture makes it look bigger than it is, but it has about 3/4" on both sides of the shroud when centered. Just way too deep and needs to be trimmed down. First picture is unmodified and mocked up. Could definitely be used as is, but I wanted it to fit tighter to the radiator.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51326548594_878f86f826_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51325829061_59b2c8acfc_b-1.jpg

Here's a close up of the motor. The 600 in there means that it's the 600 Watt version of the C7 fan. The earlier models could have come with a 500 Watt version.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51326851775_d2997efb10_b-1.jpg

I also debated on removing the fan from the shroud and making my own custom mount similar to what VA does with their aftermarket fan for 67-69 Camaro's. It fits nearly perfect in the 16" fan opening.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51325091912_e1c4ed1cb0_b-1.jpg

This is a VA shroud for my car that I saw at a Car show this past weekend. I think that is based of the Gen6 Camaros as it uses an even bigger 850 Watt fan!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51325828001_c5faeeb30c_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51326820165_8d98112d80_b-1.jpg

Problem that I didn't want to deal with was how far away from the shroud it was going to sit. I could have fabricated something, but I didn't want to do that at this point.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51326031343_647f7e5802_b-1.jpg

One thing that was pretty interesting was that the inside of the fan shroud has these little ribs that are the same depth the entire way around the inside of the shroud. Stock there are 4 of those ribs, so after deciding that I as going to modify the C7 shroud, I cut 2 ribs off which was about 5/8".

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51325828291_a0a3c3d639_b-1.jpg

With the 2 ribs cut, you can still use the stock mounting tabs, but since my radiator wasn't quite wide enough to easily use them, I decided to cut another two. Ended up being quite a bit of material that I removed.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51326063578_87f8bf5c44_b-1.jpg

I took measurements before and after cutting and the shroud must be parallel since the measurements were the same. Width is 21 3/8", side height is 13.5" and the height at the center is 15 3/8"

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51326546564_37059e7943_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51326547539_5fd23f03a9_b-1.jpg

Here is right before one of the final test fits. I found that in between two of the ribs for the upper part, it lined up perfectly with the upper nuts that were already on the shroud. For the rear, I found a space between two ribs, but added my own Rivnut. Really easy and mounted very solidly.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51326029873_dea22319d5_b-1.jpg

Then I mounted up a 70 amp breaker for the fan. It draws a lot of juice and this was recommended to me by Andrew. I was able to use a little pillar and threaded a bolt I had into it for a solid mount. Very pleased with how it all came out. I had a few missing "flaps" and found a guy on a Corvette forum who had a few spares. So they are on the way, but for now I made a few temporary pieces. I'm not sure if I will end up trimming the shroud in front of the "flaps" to encourage more airflow at speed or not. I want to run it and see how it performs. If I am not getting the cooling I want I'll modify them for more airflow.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51326818555_e75afc4321_b-1.jpg

Installed in the car and ready to wire up. I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51326029518_773695a35b_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51325090122_f9c0f3ff2e_b-1.jpg

I bought some more 8 ga wire, a 70 amp circuit breaker and a Yazaki connector kit (bought on eBay) with an assortment of terminals to get it all wired up.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51325827281_e4b70c8ae1_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51326548049_2a59edb10f_b-1.jpg

I found that my big crimpers did a great job on the open barrel terminals once I bent them over slightly. One thing on this connector that was a little different was there is this inner white locking piece that had to be popped up in order to insert the terminals into the slots. Otherwise it was very straight forward.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51326818395_1407c389d5_b-1.jpg

Used some appropriately sized terminals and glued heat shrink. I didn't get any pictures, but the ground side goes directly to the battery. The positive side goes from the connector, to the breaker, then directly to the battery. From all my research it is critical to get the appropriately sized wire for this job. You will not be able to get away with 12 ga wire. According to Spal, this wire could get hot enough to melt the connector, so make sure the wire is sufficiently sized for the job.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51325089592_0177b99c98_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51325089592_0177b99c98_b-1.jpg

The last thing was adjusting the tune in Holley to use a PWM- signal rather than a straight ground. I tested it in the garage and it worked great. I didn't get a chance to test it as it was raining, but I'm hoping to within the next few days.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/07/51325826536_08e44547ee_b-1.jpg

Thanks,
Ryan

[Motown 454]

It looks like a nice fix, that should have plenty of flow.

[Just 1 More]

How is that C7 fan working out and where did you source one from?

[ryeguy2006a]

I'm pleased to report that the fans are working really well. I actually got stuck in stand still traffic over the weekend for about 15 mins and the temps stayed in right around 202-204. I have them commanded to come on at 202 and off at 198. The IAT's were good as well. They were around 90* cruising and crept up to around 108 and pretty much stayed there. The ambient temps were right around 70, so I'd like to do a stress test to find out what it does if the temps are 85-90 doing the same thing.

I'm still running the fan shroud as is and never cut open the inside. I think that I'm going to modify it to give the fan a more open space to draw the air from. I think that may encourage more airflow to possibly lower the IAT's. When I'm cruising down the highway I'm usually about 15-20* above ambient, so I know that it's cooling efficiently.

[Bugzilla]

You can borrow the weather out here for a stress test whenever you would like. Only supposed to be 108° tomorrow.

[ryeguy2006a]

Wow, that's hot. Too hot!! Hopefully things cool down soon for you guys...

After cruising around I wasn't entirely happy with how the IAT's were reacting with the fans on. They weren't dropping like I was expecting, so after thinking on it a while I decided to make a change to the shroud. I found another guy who had the entire opening of the cooling fan he was running open (Thanks John), and the fan was riveted to the shroud. I really liked that idea and decided to copy that same concept. That meant I had to cut the shroud open and make some mounting tabs.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/08/51367013421_94179823d8_b-1.jpg

I'd guess that I gained an additional 30% more airflow through the C7 shroud rather than all of the air coming through the 16" opening that the shroud had before. Now there is a more direct path for the air to flow, but not only when the fans are on but at speed when the flaps are open.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/08/51368021410_6142a81b8f_b-1.jpg

I found a nice guy over on the Corvette forums that had a wrecked C7 and had 4 perfect flaps, which is exactly how many I needed. He gave them to me, all I had to do was pay shipping!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/08/51367058996_047aa27648_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/08/51367229998_3eb2000a22_b-1.jpg

After a ton of test fits, I started to rivet them together. They turned out great and I'm very happy with the way it turned out now. Should have just done this from the beginning. Before when I was first cutting up the shroud, I saved the decal that came on the shroud originally. I wanted to put it back on when it was finished, and I'm glad I did. I think it was a nice finishing touch.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/08/51368021345_6ce1050fcf_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/08/51368021220_ec1420f778_b-1.jpg

I also needed to shorten up my upper radiator hose. I didn't quite trim it enough when I first installed it, so now it doesn't touch the fan.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/08/51368021150_1f40209e5d_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/08/51368021175_24da82e736_b-1.jpg

I'm finally happy with the way this turned out. It looks great and is actually more rigid now than it was before. The real test is if all the efforts were worth it. I finished this up on Friday night to hopefully make it to a car show on Saturday morning. Great news is that it was 80* out and I was able to get out to the show and test the fans out. The engine coolant didn't change at all, but the IAT's stayed lower. Huge win! I drove the car for about 100 miles and the whole car performed flawlessly, but especially the IAT's. I stopped to let the car idle for around 10 mins to see what it would do. The IAT's were right around 95* cruising then when I stopped they slowly crept up to around 125* and seemed to stay right around that temp. To me that seems pretty good considering all the engine bay heat and no airflow. I could probably get it a little better if I made a CAI shroud around my filter. I'll probably do that at some point, but for now I'm really pleased. The best part was the IAT's cooled right back down once I was moving again. Dropped 15* quickly then slowly went back down to around 95*.

Cheers,
Ryan

[csouth]

That's awesome! What are you running in your HX, water or coolant?

[ryeguy2006a]

Thanks Chris. I'm running a distilled water and Water Wetter.

[ryeguy2006a]

Not a ton of progress, but I swapped out my 255-45-18 tires for some Michelin ps2 275/35r18. I got them pretty cheap and they have helped slightly with traction. I got them for a really good deal to check for fitment, but I'd really like to go with a 275-40-18 eventually.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/09/51436483372_998a79d528_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/09/51438187615_9759b1dfe6_b-1.jpg

They didn't help that much though with traction haha.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/09/51437471078_45f6932025_b-1.jpg

I also picked up a set of 7.425" pushrods to see if more lifter pre-load will help to reduce the LS sewing machine sound. I know its very common with LS motors and aftermarket cams, but I want to try and reduce it if possible. Hopefully can swap those out over the next few weeks.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/09/51436466627_a8ef7f1272_b-1.jpg

I also picked up this little tab for the ebrake switch. After I install that, I'll be able to hook up the light on my dash.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/09/51437459623_0049fed3e8_b-1.jpg

Cheers,
Ryan

[Motown 454]

Nice place to try out those new tires, you can see for a mile!

[ryeguy2006a]

You are so right. That road is ideal for testing. People actually come from other towns to test on this road in my town haha.

[Bugzilla]

You still havent fixed your serp belt routing have you? Haha

[ryeguy2006a]

Haha, no I haven't. Thanks for the reminder though. I had planned on just going to the parts store to get the right length belt rather than buying one online and hoping it fits. Just haven't taken the time to do it. I haven't noticed any belt slippage, but it should have the right belt on it.

[ryeguy2006a]

I swapped out the pushrods Friday night and took some measurements. I used my adjustable pushrod checker and came up with the same measurement that I did when I built it originally. Zero lash comes out to 7.325". So with my 7.400 pushrods I come up with a 0.075" preload which is right about where the stock should be. BTR calls for a 0.100" preload, so I was right swapping out to the 7.425" pushrods. Glad to see that the inside still looks really clean. In addition to swapping out the pushrods I was tracking down a small oil leak. Good news is that the valve cover gasket had just pushed outside of the groove on the driver's side. Easy fix.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/09/51494941082_8a869686c0_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/09/51494941057_15c0952486_b-1.jpg

After that was all done, I took the car out on Saturday and it was slightly quieter, but not the results that I was hoping for. I'm guessing that it may not be the engine at this point, but maybe the design of the headers. I've heard various reports of different header manufactures where people have loud or quiet valves depending on that. I'm hoping to swap out my shorty headers at some point for some long tubes so maybe that will change things. I'm probably being particular because whenever I drive it I'm listening for it. Other people that have ridden in the car say it's not very noticeable.

Also Friday night, I got my parking brake wire hooked up and the new paddle installed. This was super easy and took me all of about 10 minutes. Nice to have a dash indicator now.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/09/51495955353_8db04e4ced_b-1.jpg

I'm hoping to get my new Astro Vents installed soon too. Just plugging away at the little things and enjoying driving the car.

Cheers,
Ryan

[ryeguy2006a]

So I'll post up something that is a little interesting and a little embarrassing because I should have noticed it sooner. I'll start by showing my little quickie body work project. I've had some trouble ever since I built my car with some rubbing on the driver's side, which came to a head recently as I hit a road bump recently and my tire actually contacted the quarter. It wasn't serious damage thankfully, but it caused some paint damage when I hit it back in place. I'll fix this the right way this winter, but for now I had some Duplicolor color match rattle can paint that did a really nice temporary job. Just sanded it back a little with 400, then tapped it off, hit with primer and paint. Pretty pleased for a 20 min fix. Definitely not perfect, but it won't get any worse now.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/09/51524952779_1ff5917464_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/09/51523433202_b0053efa04_b-1.jpg

When I was putting the wheel back on I started looking at that area and noticed that it seemed to be closer to the front than the rear. Then as I stepped back and got down I realized that the wheel wasn't centered in the wheel house. I didn't have tape measure right handy, but I checked and had two finger gap on the driver's side, and a loose 3 finger gap on the passenger at the front of the quarter. After I investigated further the rear axle had shifted forward at some point causing the wheel to not stay centered. I loosened up both the leaf spring pocket and the u bolts and made some adjustments and now it's the same on both sides. No idea how I didn't catch that sooner.

Before:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/09/51523433497_7e9f1575ef_b-1.jpg

After:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/09/51525154190_64fdf563df_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/09/51524952129_3992ec0663_b-1.jpg

Much better now!! I've driven it around and so far zero scrubbing.

I never drive the car at night, but I figured I should install the dome light. My son was interested in what I was doing when I was doing so I had him help me install it and cut the headliner. I also showed him how the circuits work. Probably forgot it already, but he was super interested at the time haha.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2021/09/51524473898_2b3e6252f5_b-1.jpg

Best,
Ryan