Take Two - Back with a New Project - "Lawyer Up"

[Midlife]

Hi Everyone - Well, I'm back after an eight year hiatus. Back in the summer of '12, I bought a base '72 Camaro with the plan of building a pro-touring car - the ill-fated "Project Midlife." Things happened, and I ended up selling that car and focusing on other projects, including finishing my Factory Five Cobra replica build - which has been on the road for five years and 14k miles.

A few months ago, I decided to resurrect the idea of building a pro-touring 2nd gen Camaro and found what I think is the perfect candidate..... meet "Lawyer Up."

It's a one-owner '73 LT Z28 4-speed that has just 16k miles on the odo..... most of which were racked-up a quarter mile at a time at Milan Dragway in Michigan and likely earned its driver some additional gas money on Woodward and other Detroit area haunts late at night. It was a dedicated drag racer from day one until the late '90s, when it was put back on the street for the cruise night and car show circuit. Over the years, its first owner blew things up (original motor... gone - same for the transmission and rear end) and applied various paints and finishes to protect the car forever. All this added up to a non-numbers matching car with lots of gloss black Imron surfaces, but an otherwise perfect time capsule of a survivor - but one that was hotrodded from day one - and always will be. There are bumps and scrapes here and there, but overall the nearly original paint (front and rear valances have been re-sprayed) is in great shape and covers all original sheetmetal. The interior is nearly perfect, as most of it was removed when the car was new and stored for decades.

My plan is the leave the exterior as-is and do limited updates to the interior. The focus will be on suspension, brakes, wheels/tires, and engine. The transmission is already taken care of, as it received a TKO600 just a few hundred miles ago. The engine is an early LT1 solid-lifter with an Edelbrock upper end - heads, intake, and carb. Although I haven't made too many decisions on exact parts that I'll use, I'm leaning towards the new LS427 (wet sump version) crate engine, but will be enjoying the current motor for the remainder of this summer as I drive it around and get to know the car.

Here are a bunch of pics - some from back in the day and others from just last week.....

[jaybee]

SWEET car to start with!

[derekf]

I like it.

Two questions though:

- What's the little emblem next to the grille? (I'm sure it's something normal and expected but I guess I've never seen it?)
- Why the name "Lawyer Up"?

[Midlife]

Hey Derek -

The emblem next to the grille is the "Type LT" badge - there're three others... one on the tail panel and one on each sail panel behind the door windows. In '73, Chevrolet dropped the SS package and introduced the Type LT - which stood for "luxury touring." It was actually a model designation, not an option package, so if the second character in the VIN is an S, it's a Type LT version (the Sport Coupe versions had a Q for the second character). The Z28 package, as well as the RS package, could be added to a Type LT - though this one only has Z28, the original owner added the split bumpers and I'm waiting for the full width bumper to come back from the chrome shop so I can reinstall it (was sitting on the floor of his garage for years and looks a bit worse for the wear). The Z28 package can also be confirmed by the VIN, as the fifth character for cars with that option is a T, which is what this one shows. Surprisingly, when a Type LT had the Z28 package added, the car received no Z28 badges (the original owner added the one on the grille and the rear spoiler) and you couldn't add stripes at all from the factory. I guess it was the ultimate sleeper Camaro back in '73.... although it did still get the Z28 5-spoke wheels and RWL tires standard.

As for "lawyer up," it's a phrase that refers to not admitting anything and asking for a lawyer. As a corporate attorney myself, I thought I'd have a bit of fun with it, so I ordered a vanity plate that says "LWYR UP." A friend also gave me a small decal (1" x 3") which may find it's way onto the bumper under the plate that reads: "you have the right to remain silent - use it."

[derekf]

Good deal, Chris, thank you. I'd kinda guessed as much on the name but always nice to have the story to go with it.

[Midlife]

Time for my first update - some exterior work and parts on-order.

After 47 years or so without stripes, this Z28 finally received a set. I have a friend who owns a sign shop, so after picking up the painted stripe template kit, we played around with his plotter and came up with a pattern that worked pretty good. For our first attempt, we went with a matte black vinyl and, at least to my eyes, nailed it right out of the box. Adding the stripes really makes the car pop and, combined with the black lower rockers, chin spoiler, tail lamp panel, and vinyl top, these just look right on the car.

[Midlife]

Another thing that I did was to refinish the front spoiler - it had taken on a nasty combination of milky, shiny, and flat patches. I used Eastwood's "Plastic Resurfacer," which is really just a high-solvent spray bomb with a bit of black pigment. It supposedly reactivates the surface of the plastic and bonds the pigment, leaving a like-new finish. I went a bit further by taking the spoiler off, giving it a good bath in Dawn detergent and then some paint prep solvent. After letting it dry really well, I scuffed the surface with 400 grit sandpaper and then gave it another cleaning with paint prep. After sufficient drying time, I then gave it four coats of the Plastic Resurfacer.

I don't know how durable the new finish will be, but time will tell.

Here are before and after shots.....

[Midlife]

As the above post on the chin spoiler shows, I played around with fitting a full-width bumper (sans bumperettes). This isn't the original one, as that was pranged against a building when the original owner turned the key with the car in gear and without the parking brake set. He had this one laying around and had filled in the extra holes for the bumperettes and reinforcement bar. So, after grinding down those welds, I dropped it off at the local chrome plating shop for refinishing.

So, although this car has had those RS split bumpers on-and-off since at least '74, I think it's time it wears its full-width bumper with pride.

[Midlife]

As for the reference to parts being ordered, I decided to go with RideTech for suspension, so I ordered their full front and rear coil-over kit with 4-link earlier this week.

I also decided to step-up the rear end strength and ordered a stock-width Currie 9 inch with a 3.70 ring on a TrueTrac.

The final part of the order was a Baer big brake conversion - 6 Pro+ with 13" rotors for the front and SS4+ with 13" rotors with integral parking brakes for the rear.

Going with the 13" rotors for the front instead of the 14" version allows me to use the Year One replica Z28 wheels - to which I'm adding Continental ExtremeContact Sport tires (255 for the front and 285 for the rear). I will most likely also get a set of 18s somewhere down the road, but I really like the vintage vibe of those wheels from Year One. Given that I'm not doing anything more with the exterior, I'll run these for a while and see if I like the very limited outward appearance change. If I want more bling, along with a wider selection of tires and the ability to go even wider, I'll upgrade the wheels later.

No parts on-hand yet, so here are a few file photos......

[Vimes]

The stripes look good on there, and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if you took a tape measure to them and found they were almost factory correct which would be outstanding for "eyeballing" them.

[FLYNAVY53]

Dig the car, and the build, looking forward to the updates!

[Midlife]

The first of many parts have begun to arrive.

Tires showed up the other day - Continental ExtremeContact-Sport (255 front and 285 rear). That was followed closely by the first shipment (seven packages) from RideTech (including the Borgeson steering box). There are still a few things pending from this first wave, including a couple of back-ordered items from RideTech, as well as the rear end, brakes, and wheels.

Next up will be a new instrument panel (Dakota Digital RTX with 7k redline markings for the LS427) and some decent seats.

If anyone has suggestions on seats, I'm all ears. Looking for something that is firm, has good bolstering, and offers day-long comfort for big trips. The plan is to buy a set of reproduction seat covers in the same material as the car currently has and have the new seats recovered to look like the originals.

[Alwhite00]

Great looking car. Nice start so far.

[andrewb70]

Great start!

If you are going to use the stock subframe, and are doing the LS swap, I suggest using the Holley swap components.

https://www.holley.com/products/engine_swap_parts/ls_swap_systems/1970-81_gm_f-body_ls_swap_components/

If you decide to go with Holley EFI, don't hesitate to get in touch for tuning and wiring assistance.

Andrew

[Vimes]

On seats, I'm going with these guys. (https://corbeau.com/baja-xrs/) This is the same sort of seat they put in those sand rails and whatnot that run 70-80MPH through the desert, and they're cushy enough that people aren't ramming their tailbones through their skulls after an 80ft jump. This one is made the same as the offroad versions, but it's designed for a street car, and has a recline function. Had my wife sit in one and she found it quite comfortable, which is saying something considering she had an auto accident several years ago that she didn't do too well in. She has to lay down for longer trips, and I'm hoping these seats will allow her to ride comfortably. Going to buy them new, then have them recovered to match my interior.

They make a narrower version if this one is too wide, but I have the room in my project.

[Midlife]

On seats, I'm going with these guys. (https://corbeau.com/baja-xrs/) This is the same sort of seat they put in those sand rails and whatnot that run 70-80MPH through the desert, and they're cushy enough that people aren't ramming their tailbones through their skulls after an 80ft jump. This one is made the same as the offroad versions, but it's designed for a street car, and has a recline function. Had my wife sit in one and she found it quite comfortable, which is saying something considering she had an auto accident several years ago that she didn't do too well in. She has to lay down for longer trips, and I'm hoping these seats will allow her to ride comfortably. Going to buy them new, then have them recovered to match my interior.

They make a narrower version if this one is too wide, but I have the room in my project.


Thanks for the tip on those seats - I looked at a variety of what they offer and had a chance to sit in some at a local shop today. I sent a bunch of pics to my upholstery guy to see what he thinks about re-doing them with some aftermarket seat covers to look more like the original pattern. Should be a fun exercise to blend these two and see if we can get something that looks original-ish.....

[Midlife]

Wheels arrived the other day - they look way better in person than in the pics I've seen on line.

No real sense in test-fitting them, as all of the suspension will be revised during this winter's rebuild, but I may mount up the new tires and see how everything looks on the car with the current suspension set-up just to get a flavor of how the car will look when done.

[Midlife]

Made the decision on motivation today and ordered the LS427/570. As it turns out, the original owner, who worked for GM racing building engines for the past 10 years is friends with the guy (or one of the guys) who does the upgrades on these motors to change them from the stock dry-sump configuration into the upgraded version. Sorta a small world....

Here's a file pic of the engine.....

[jaybee]

Sweet choices, it's going to be fun to watch.

[Midlife]

FedEx man came, bearing gifts.......

[andrewb70]

Awesome!

[ryeguy2006a]

Now that's a motor!!

[Midlife]

Brakes arrived from Baer - 6 pots for front and 4 for the rear. Good thing I ordered larger wheels!

[Midlife]

Well, I guess I'm not too good at keeping this up-to-date. I can't believe it's been over two years since my last entry; time sure flies. Lawyer Up has become a winter project these past couple of years and it's been rolled to the side in the spring. I just moved it into the place of honor in the shop (on the lift) so that I can get re-acquainted and pick up where I left off this past April.

Here's a pic of the current status - I'll add more updates as time allows, showing what's been done so far.

[andrewb70]

Keep it going. My recent redo was supposed to take 6 months. I'm going on two years.

Andrew

[Midlife]

Setting the "way back machine" to November 2020, when I began disassembly.

I was very surprised to find the floors in this outstanding condition when the carpet was out. Given that it never saw winter, it shouldn't have come as a surprise, but it is, after all, a Detroit car and some rust was expected. The areas that were painted black were exposed back-in-the-day when the original owner was drag racing the car without any of the passenger and rear seats and other interior parts, so he painted those spots to cover up the red oxide dip primer.

Also, note that the console brackets have been removed with a cold chisel, leaving scabs of weld and holes in the floor that were filled with blue silicone. The original owner told me he did that back in early '73 (when he was very young), as the then-new style of taller console got in the way of his arm when shifting in competition and lots of owners of '70-'72 cars wanted that version of the console. So, he pulled it out, sold it, knocked off the brackets, and filled the holes with what he had on hand.

He also helped preserve the subframe and related suspension components by giving everything a very nice coating of gloss black Imron. As parts were removed for maintenance during it's racing days, he would clean and coat them with the preferred chassis paint of the '70s/'80s. Although this and the loss of all the numbers matching components means the car wasn't a candidate for survivor preservation, the result was a perfect car for a survivor exterior pro-touring build.

[eversaul86]

Love this body style. Split bumpers get my vote! Can’t wait to see the progress.
Martin

[Midlife]

One of the first things on the agenda before digging in was to plot the chassis points on the floor using a plumb bob, take measurements, then replace the rotted rubber chassis bushings with solid ones from Detroit Speed.

[Midlife]

After installing the solid body mount bushings, I re-checked the measurements from the same key pick-up points and confirmed that nothing shifted. Then, with the wheels on and the car back on the ground (well, on the four-post lift), I installed a set of Detroit Speed subframe connectors.

I was really hesitant to cut such nice sheetmetal, but after marking, checking with a laser, and measuring a bunch more times, I finally did the cuts and fitted the subframe connectors.

I'm not a pro at welding, but working slowly and experimenting with the power and feed settings on my Lincoln 110v MIG to get the right amount of penetration on the thick walls of the connectors without blowing holes in the much thinner floor sheetmetal resulted in a solid connection, both inside and underneath the car.

Since I may someday replace the front subframe with an aftermarket version, I didn't want to weld the subframe connectors permanently to the OEM front subframe. The instructions call for welding the subframe connector brackets directly to the OEM subframe, though. After a discussion with Detroit Speed and their blessing of converting to bolts for that part of the installation, I drilled each of the subframe connectors and installed sleeves to avoid crushing the tubing. I then welded the tabs to the ends of the OEM subframe once everything was aligned. By removing the body mount bolts and the six bolts in the subframe connectors, the OEM front subframe can still be removed from the car.

After the welding was done, I covered the welds with seam sealer, then etching primer and paint. I also tried a bunch of different undercoating products to mimic what the original owner put on the underside of the car years ago and landed on a pretty good match. Since I'm trying to preserve the patina, my goal was to make it look like nothing had been done on the bottom of the car.... I think I came close to hitting that mark.

[Midlife]

With the body and chassis solidly bolted together and subframe connectors in place, I turned to the interior and installed a Detroit Speed 4-point roll bar.

This version comes with pre-cut and bent tubes, including a removable rear seat brace with nice clevis attachments. Given that I'm trying to keep the original patina on the car, I really didn't want to remove the rear window and risk having to remove the vinyl top if I discovered any concerns under that window molding. So, I ordered up another set of the clevises and cut the rear down tubes just under the package tray, which would allow me to install the main hoop and the welded-on rear down tubes as a single assembly without removing the rear glass. Although this will compromise the strength of the roll bar somewhat, I'm not planning on tracking it - beyond some touring sessions - and the main purpose of the roll bar is to serve as a shoulder harness mount and chassis stiffener. I added four shoulder harness loops, as well, to help hold things in place.

I started by fitting and tacking the footpads in place, then lots of trial fitting of the tubing. Once I was happy with the fit, I tacked the tubes together and removed everything from the car for final welding. Once welded, I did another test-fit to make sure that nothing had moved, then dropped it off at the local powder coater for a sand-black finish - sorta like an old fashioned camera case finish - that looks great against the stock interior materials and the vinyl roof. They left the bottom inch or so uncoated so that I could weld the assembly in place, so after covering it with some protective padding and trimming the package shelf and the shelf cover, I carefully positioned it in the car, connected the trunk legs (that have a crossbar, as well), then welded the four feet to the pads. I finished it off with some seam sealer on the floor welds and then painting the pads and the bottom inch or so of the bars.

[Midlife]

As you may have guessed, after disassembling the car, my first priority was to get the bodyshell squared away. I was really happy to find that there was no corrosion to be concerned about on the shell.... just a little surface issue here and there. That was incredibly surprising for a car that spent its entire life in the Detroit area! I'm keeping all of the finishes in place, wherever possible, especially the exterior paint and vinyl top.

So far, I've caught you up to speed on the subframe fixing points, subframe connectors, and rollbar. Next, I turned my attention to other parts of the bodyshell that needed attention or modifications that will facilitate future equipment.

The first few pics are follow-ups to the earlier posts, showing how I modified the package shelf covering (added a passenger side speaker opening and grille, as well as cut-outs for the rollbar rear down tubes that I trimmed out with windlace edging), and the final appearance of the subframe connectors and rollbar footing (seam sealed and painted). Also, note in the subframe interior pic the replaced console brackets.

Other pics below cover the following bodyshell work.....

Front tow eye - For this, I used a Ford Performance part that is intended for the FP500 and Boss302S/R race cars. I had a set of these (front and rear) laying around and started to look at the front one as possibly working on the Z28. I was really surprised to discover that the bend of the bracket followed the front horn of the subframe where the bumper bracket mounts. Normally the bracket would mount to a Mustang behind the front fascia in a vertical fashion and the tow eye would fold down flat against the fascia where the front license plate would mount. In this case, I welded the hinged section solid after positioning the bracket against the bottom of the front subframe section. I had the now welded eye powdercoated red to cover the hinge area, then welded the bracket fully to the front subframe. About 3/4 of the red tow eye will protrude through a slit I'll make in the black plastic front spoiler, just below the lower painted valance.

Trunk floor access - This is another Detroit Speed part, which consists of a ring and cover plate. I'm using a Rick's Tanks baffled stainless tank with the modern GM fuel pump / filter / regulator module and wanted to be able to access it for service purposes. The trunk floor had a bit of surface rust that was attributed to condensation under the rubber mat. The original owner covered the surface rust decades ago with more gloss black Imron, but some was finally starting to poke it's way through again. Fortunately, the worst of it - really nothing more than some mild pitting - was right in the area that I cut out for the access hole. I then rosette and stitch welded the ring in place, seam sealed the edges inside and out, then recoated the trunk with a quality spatter paint. In the pic below, the spatter paint is still wet and the light is directly above it, giving it a glossy appearance that it has since lost.

Firewall clean-up - The firewall had been the victim of various coatings over the years each time the engine was out, so it was time for a cleanup and repaint. But, I wanted the appearance to remain as close to original as possible, so I left the areas that were okay alone.... particularly under the fenders where the blackout paint was gone and the red oxide underneath was visible. For this, I just sanded the wrinkly, peeling, and badly scratched areas - applied some primer where I took it down to bare metal, and then top coated it with Eastwood's 2k in a finish that replicated the original matte from the factory.

Dynamat - Now that all the cutting, welding, seam sealing, and painting was done, it was time to add some Dynamat. I covered the interior floor, doors, underdash, and up in the rear quarter panels. I wanted to damp as much of the harshness of the coming suspension mods and exhaust, as well as provide some heat insulation, but without any of the Dynamat being visible when doors, hood, or trunk lid were open.

This about covered it for bodyshell prep work, so future installments will cover the mechanical rebuilding. Stay tuned for more!

[Midlife]

Front tow eye pics......

[Midlife]

Trunk floor fuel tank top access pics.....

- - - Updated - - -

Firewall refinishing pics......

- - - Updated - - -

Dynamat pic.....

[Midlife]

Part of the disassembly process included removing everything except for the headliner from the interior. After finding some very old hacks in the wiring harness, I decided to go with a new Classic Update harness from American Auto Wire. This harness includes a few extra circuits and a modern fuse panel. And, it'll help me get rid of things like this..... a bolt acting as the connector for a bunch of wires and then "plugged" into the original fuse block.

[ryeguy2006a]

You're doing a fantastic job! Thanks for posting pictures.

[extremetoy]

Love the old school photos of it, definitely hang onto those!

[NCSU68]

Great work!

[Alwhite00]

No shortcuts here, looks great. My last build took 10 years so you are way ahead of me. Keep it up.

[Midlife]

As mentioned early on, I was blessed in finding a survivor car that wears most of it's original paint (valances - f/r - and the rear spoiler were repainted at different points throughout the years), the vinyl top that was applied at Norwood, along with all of it's original interior (except the console).

So, after I wrapped up the bodyshell mods and the clean-up / preservation, it was time to begin reassembly. The first step was to get the new suspension and brakes in place.......


Front and rear RideTech suspension - four link rear with coilovers
Baer brakes - six piston front / four piston rear with 13" rotors at all corners


The RideTech parts are really high-quality pieces and went together with no problems and the instructions / templates were clear and concise. Installation of the rear suspension frame on the inside of the car, cutting the oval holes for the diagonal upper control arms, and modifying the rear seat back frame went really well and the results are nearly invisible. That's important, as from a distance I want the car to look just like a nicely preserved older restoration or survivor on some slightly larger wheels.

Given that this car is getting a healthy increase in horsepower, I elected to buy a Currie 9" (Ford!) rear end. I sourced it through RideTech, as that way it came with all the necessary brackets welded in place and powdercoated in a nice satin black. It includes a TrueTrac diff with 3.70 gears and 31 spline axles, so it should be more than up to the task of handling the LS7's output.

[andrewb70]

You're making fast progress!

Andrew

[Midlife]

You're making fast progress!


Andrew - Not really..... just trying to catch everyone up on the work that took place over the past eighteen months. It's actually pretty slow going around here, but I figured I'd try and get the postings up-to-date with current work.

[Bulletpruf]

As for "lawyer up," it's a phrase that refers to not admitting anything and asking for a lawyer. As a corporate attorney myself, I thought I'd have a bit of fun with it, so I ordered a vanity plate that says "LWYR UP." A friend also gave me a small decal (1" x 3") which may find it's way onto the bumper under the plate that reads: "you have the right to remain silent - use it."

Beautiful car! FYI - I'm an attorney as well (25 years as an Army JAG); love the name.

[Midlife]

We interrupt this chain of updates to bring you some additional vintage pics of "Lawyer Up" during its early days........

Some interesting other cars in the background - I wonder where those other 2nd gen Camaros are these days - and a couple from it's L88 hood / dog dish hubcap days.

[thumper877]

Cool old photos

[Midlife]

Back on-track with updates on past work.... getting close to bringing you all up to the current status:

With the suspension and brakes in place at the four corners, I reinstalled the wheels (Year One 17" repops of the original style Z28 wheels wrapped in Continental Conti-Sport Contact in 235F/285R) and moved to drive train test fitting.

This began with unwrapping the engine - a crate version of the LS7 that GM Performance put together a couple years ago by converting left-over engines to wet sump and adding a different cam to bump power.... they were sold under the LS427/570 moniker.

My plan is to use as much of what came with the engine as possible, including the tri-y stainless shorty exhaust manifolds and the clutch assembly. I'm also re-using the TKO600 transmission that the original owner installed in the car. Although he installed it back in 2015, the car only turned 400 miles between then and the time I bought it. So, I put another 600 or so miles on it before changing out the break-in fluid, then another thousand or so miles during that first summer of driving the car in it's old form. I pulled the clutch assembly off of the LS7 to verify that the pilot bearing was the proper size for use with the TKO600's input shaft snout, then performed a bellhousing runout test to ensure transmission alignment with the crankshaft centerline. I found that the bellhousing (a titanium / aluminum alloy piece that came from Silver Sport Transmission - great guys to deal with) was just a few thousands out of spec, so I added a pair of offset dowels to correct for the misalignment. Once properly aligned, the bellhousing runout was less than .001 - success!

With everything in alignment, I test fitted the transmission and bellhousing to the engine before fitting the assembly into the car.

[andrewb70]

That's a great engine!

Nice work!

Andrew

[Midlife]

Time for a bit more catch-up updates......

With the engine / transmission together temporarily, I took the opportunity to fit it into the chassis and check a bunch of things. The list of mock-up checks included engine mount fitment, oil pan-to-crossmember, bellhousing-to-firewall , shifter location, crankshaft / output shaft centerline down-angle, brake booster, windshield wiper motor, exhaust manifold clearance (both at the front subframe and the steering shaft), heater hose inlet/outlet proximity to passenger upper control arm bushing, and a multitude of other small things.

Once the engine and transmission were in the chassis, I also did a preliminary fitting of the radiator core support, radiator and cooling fans, Vintage Air condensor and drier, oil cooler, and power steering cooler.


Engine mounts - GForce adjustable LS swap mounts
Brake booster and master cylinder - Detroit Speed dual diaphragm
Clutch hydraulics - Silver Sport Transmission assembly that includes many Willwood components
Radiator - Wizard Cooling with upgraded tube width and twin Spal electric fans


All this test fitting and clearance checking resulted in lots of bracket fabrication and other things, so work continues on lots of these little things. But, here are some pics of this work.

[Midlife]

We're finally getting pretty close to up-to-date on project status. The engine and transmission have been in since last spring and I've been working on all of the little things that go along with a build like this. My focus lately has been to figure out all of the plumbing for the car. Seems like a simple thing, until you start thinking in terms of both liquids and gasses; and all the systems involved. Fuel fill, delivery, and vapor handling; coolant (including steam and overflow); brakes; clutch hydraulics; oil cooler; power steering (and cooler); windshield washer; HVAC (ducting for air flow and hoses for liquids and gasses); and even inlet air and exhaust. In order to figure all of this out, I've been focusing on mocking up all of the origination and termination points for these systems so that I can plan out the needed materials and paths.

In the mean time, I had a little fun with the badging on the car. As mentioned in a much earlier post, back in '73, when a Z28 was ordered with the Type LT package, the car did not come with any Z28 badging and couldn't be ordered with stripes. I rectified the no-stripe issue with matte black vinyl and the original owner resolved the Z28 badge deficiency by adding those to the grill and rear spoiler. The Type LT badges remained on the car - nose, tail panel, and roof panel behind the doors. On the fenders, the car was originally equipped with "Camaro" script with "350" badges below - no crossed flags or anything showy. So, I decided to keep the script emblems, but found replacements for the displacement badges that mimic the style of the "Type LT" badges. Only now, the displacement matches the engine upgrade.

Here's a before and after........

[Midlife]

Now that we're all caught-up on project status, here's something new that I've been working on lately - power steering and engine oil coolers. The power steering cooler is a Derale double row unit that I mounted to the Vintage Air condensor frame and the engine oil cooler is a 10-row unit from Setrab. For the engine oil cooler, I fab'd up a couple of brackets using some .060 sheet metal that'll get powdercoated next time I take a batch of stuff in. The brackets are secured using rivnuts that I added to the radiator core support, as the lower mounting point is a blind cavity.

Missing hardware is just because this is mock-up stage, still. More info on this installation once everything is in the final position and the lines are routed and installed.

[denizkaan]

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if you took a tape measure to them and found they were almost factory correct which would be outstanding for "eyeballing" them.