79 TA Pro Tour style. - The Digital TA

[Beastus_Maximus]

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2006/01/digitalta-1.jpg
Just wanted to see what you all thought of the project I am about to get hot and heavy into, been collecting parts for quite a while now, will be about 3 months when my new shop is built beore I really get going hot and heavy with it. The plan is to take it on the hotrod power tour 2007. I would really like your input on anything you guys have to add, as well looking for the other TA guys around, I am finding we are few and far between, expecially those of us building Poncho motors and putting them in a car that was built to handle.

I want to give a whole new meaning to the term "Radial Tuned Suspention" As well when I get the Fikse FM-10 wheels, I am going to have the center sections painted a red color that is going to be prominant through the whole car. The seats and carpet will be red, black floor mats, black upholstry everywhere else, the cage will be that color of red. As will the engine, transmission and the majority of the suspention and frame components.

As well I am going to put a speaker box where the back seat used to be so the car will still have the whole of the trunk space to use for bags when I take a trip. Well less room for a battery box of course.

Also if anyone knows of a place that does it, I am trying to find led bulbs for my original tail lights.

[F70t/a]

I love the wheel combo!!! 315's will look sick upfront :naughty:

[Ralph LoGrasso]

Welcome to the site, sounds like it's going to be a great project.

[formula]

rock on!! good to see another poncho out there getting the badass treatment. keep us updated!

[sinned]

4th gen's run a 3-link?? Maybe you mean a 4th gen T/A? Sounds cool, obviously not from a smog state huh?
Just curious, how in the world are you going to fit 315's in the front and still maintain full turning radius while keeping the tires under the fenders?

[Beastus_Maximus]

4th gen's run a 3-link?? Maybe you mean a 4th gen T/A? Sounds cool, obviously not from a smog state huh?
Just curious, how in the world are you going to fit 315's in the front and still maintain full turning radius while keeping the tires under the fenders?
With the wayne due subframe, it is allot narrower than the stock one, so I will be able to get a much wider tire up there, I am hoping I can get a 315, but I should be able to get atleast a 305, I will not settle on a size for sure untill I have the car asembeled with the fenders on, ill pop out the coil over and run the supention into full jounce and see how much room I have, and base how wide of a tire I stick on there off of that. If I can go wider up there I will because this engine is going to be pretty hefty and I need that traction to keep the front end under control. Once I have those measurements I will order the front wheels and tires and it is off to the races from there.

[Beastus_Maximus]

rock on!! good to see another poncho out there getting the badass treatment. keep us updated!

For sure, I will be documenting this project ever step of the way, and actually starting with the new shop im building I am going to start publishing a website on it. I am not sure what the addy will be yet, but I will keep you posted.

What are you planning to do with your 78? I have long been thinking of a way to put a kinsler cross ram to a formula hood like you have. :ssst:

[Beastus_Maximus]

Oh an no, I am not from a smog state, I am from montana. you can register a vehicle with no engine, doors, wheels, trunk lid, front clip or glass here.

The 3 link setup I am copying the gemoetry from is out of my 93 Z28 camaro, mosser engineering makes a 12 bolt that is specifically designed to bold in there, and has the mount nessicary for the 3rd link torque arm. I am going to keep it centered up with a panhard rod as well. Nothing too fancy but sure will be functional.

I was thinking about a 4 link with the sachel link setup, but that is more drag race friendly and I dont know that it would be the best for a pro tour car. I also like the 3 link better for the massivly long torque arm. When I build mine it is going to be set so it pivots right next to the transmission U-joint, and thus will always keep the drive line at a perfect angle, atleast on the axle end.

[sinned]

Sorry, that was my subtle way of letting you know that no Camaro has ever had a 3-link (as O.E)....you missed it. You are copying a T/A which is quite different than a 3-link. Good luck, this a pretty big project.

[Steve Chryssos]

Dude!! Whassup. Where you been?

[JoshStratton]

Cool! Another 79. Not too many of us here. Keep us posted!

[formula]

For sure, I will be documenting this project ever step of the way, and actually starting with the new shop im building I am going to start publishing a website on it. I am not sure what the addy will be yet, but I will keep you posted.

What are you planning to do with your 78? I have long been thinking of a way to put a kinsler cross ram to a formula hood like you have. :ssst:


Right now my engine plans are so far up in the air that I can't even see them. My car came from the factory with a chevy 350 so i have no problem stuffing another one in there. at one point in time I was thinking LS2, maybe even LS7, then FI pontiac, then FI small block, then nissan skyline drivetrain (ok maybe not)...

As for the rest of the car, I've got a line on a pretty trick new subframe that should hopefully be coming out fairly soon. I'm not really allowed to speak about it, though. It's not gonna dominate over any of the other ones, but it should be competitive and have a few neat little tricks that the others havent implemented yet. Then I'm contemplating going with the new ridetech airbar/shockwave combo, based on the impressive performance i've seen from it so far. I really like the stock interior, So I'll probably rebuild the factory seats, do some nice gauges in the stock dash, and then just clean up and restore the rest inside. I've already got a TKO500 so I'll stick with that.

Overall, It probably wont be as aggressive as yours...then again I'm trying to pay my way through college right now more than anything, so that's the way things are now.

I want so bad to get ahold of a second set of the fake intake thingies and cut them out and build some sort of induction set up...it wouldn't be that hard, really. The kinsler idea would be bad ace though, through and through.

[redsand]

Are you going to abandon the inner wheel wells with the 305's?

Here are some pics of my trans am

[Beastus_Maximus]

Right now my engine plans are so far up in the air that I can't even see them. My car came from the factory with a chevy 350 so i have no problem stuffing another one in there. at one point in time I was thinking LS2, maybe even LS7, then FI pontiac, then FI small block, then nissan skyline drivetrain (ok maybe not)...

As for the rest of the car, I've got a line on a pretty trick new subframe that should hopefully be coming out fairly soon. I'm not really allowed to speak about it, though. It's not gonna dominate over any of the other ones, but it should be competitive and have a few neat little tricks that the others havent implemented yet. Then I'm contemplating going with the new ridetech airbar/shockwave combo, based on the impressive performance i've seen from it so far. I really like the stock interior, So I'll probably rebuild the factory seats, do some nice gauges in the stock dash, and then just clean up and restore the rest inside. I've already got a TKO500 so I'll stick with that.

Overall, It probably wont be as aggressive as yours...then again I'm trying to pay my way through college right now more than anything, so that's the way things are now.

I want so bad to get ahold of a second set of the fake intake thingies and cut them out and build some sort of induction set up...it wouldn't be that hard, really. The kinsler idea would be bad ace though, through and through.

Right on, sounds like you are going to have a pretty deacent damn ride there, I cant wait to see what you come up with, the LS7 would be very cool, Kinsler makes a nice injection for the LS series engines as well, allthough they are muy dinero.

Myself I am a big fan of poncho motors, they are simply torque monsters. allthough they are harder to come by and more expensive to build.

I know the budjet woes as well, I dirve truck for a living, and just bought a ton of over priced diesel in the past few months. I am finally getting bach on track with my project. The thing that is good for me is that I have minimised all my bills and every spare penny I have is going into my project, and I have no wife or kids.

[Beastus_Maximus]

Are you going to abandon the inner wheel wells with the 305's?

Here are some pics of my trans am

I have no idea, I am guessing I will have to, or build custom glass ones, we will see when the time comes and I am fitting everything, I probably will ditch them just for the weight savings.

Wow, you have a rag top, I have never seen on in person.

[formula]

Right on, sounds like you are going to have a pretty deacent damn ride there, I cant wait to see what you come up with, the LS7 would be very cool, Kinsler makes a nice injection for the LS series engines as well, allthough they are muy dinero.

Myself I am a big fan of poncho motors, they are simply torque monsters. allthough they are harder to come by and more expensive to build.

I know the budjet woes as well, I dirve truck for a living, and just bought a ton of over priced diesel in the past few months. I am finally getting bach on track with my project. The thing that is good for me is that I have minimised all my bills and every spare penny I have is going into my project, and I have no wife or kids.

yeah a fuelie poncho motor is def my dream motor...can you imagine an all aluminum fuelie dry sump 462? how badass would that be?!?!

[Beastus_Maximus]

yeah a fuelie poncho motor is def my dream motor...can you imagine an all aluminum fuelie dry sump 462? how badass would that be?!?!

Well, that would be really bad ass, eventually id love to stick an indian adventures block in the TA, but that will be a long time off.

And an update for everyone, I have been over the road trucking, I had a guy wreck into me back in febuary, had a bit of a fight with his insurance company. Spent about a month sitting while it was getting fixed and finally decided to throw in the towel, I sold the Truck & Trailer, I am getting a home equity loan to build my new 30x34 shop, then I am going to town on the TA. Hopefully a month from now the shop will be up. Working on some final details of the project right now, then I will be sending it off to an artist for a rendering. Hopefully I will have it up in a few weeks.