71 Chevelle 408 LSX build thread

[Chevelle598bb]

Hey guys, I am finally getting around to making a build thread for my ole chevelle. I have owned it for about 13 years now and it has been everything from a daily driver to almost a true street 10.5 tire car. The only thing I lacked to run the car was a roll cage. But ofcourse we all make a few passes without the required safety equipment. After years of drag racing it started to get old and too expensive to run true street so I decided to try out the pro touring scene. I am already well into the conversion so I will try to fill in all of the blanks from the start until know. Before I started the conversion this is how my car was set up. I ran a 468 with ported 990s, solid roller, 630 hp/530 ft lbs, 10.5 to 1 compression, set up for juice, Th350, 4000 converter, 4.56s, bfg drag radials, moser m9 rear end, and stock malibu dash and interior. I was running stock style suspension, ofcourse adjustable rear control arms, moroso trick springs all around and adjustable shocks. The car launched straight, drove ok and was fast. For brakes I was running 10.5 gm metric brakes up front, 11.5 ford explorer rear disc brakes, and manual disc master cylinder with 7/8 bore. I could drive the car anywhere without worry about breaking down or overheating but as some know solid roller big blocks are hard on valvetrains. Also not to mention the brakes were not the best set up and the suspension was not to impressive in the handling department. So not to long after I finished the car I decided to completely redo the car in pro touring fashion with some persuasion of a buddy building a pro touring 73 camaro. Here are some pics of the car before I tore it back apart.

[johnny68]

looking good will be a nice pro touring car keep the pictures coming
john

[Chevelle598bb]

I started my pro tour conversion with the brakes first. I purchased a new set of factory disk brake spindles and a set of Kore3 C5 brake brakets. I also picked up a set of Z51 rotors, new C5 calipers, ceramic pads and new hardware. Ofcourse the draglites would not fit with the new C5 brakes so I picked up a set of C5 black Z06 wheels. I had 295/45/18 in the rear and 275/40/18 in front. I was planning on throwing in a hydraulic roller in the big block and keeping it. For a trans I was planning on a T56 to put behind the big block. I took the 4.56s out of the rear and replaced them with 3.25 richmonds. I kept the detroit locker and 35 spline axles in the m9 rearend.

[Chevelle598bb]

Before I tore into the big block I caught the LSX bug and had big plans of a turbo lq4 and T56. I got an LQ4 and started mock up. I also picked up a Borg Warner turbo. A few weeks after that I got a killer deal on a new 408 rotating assembly and new LS3 heads. So I ditched the turbo set up for the big cubes.

[Chevelle598bb]

After mocking up the motor and trans, and ditching the turbo idea, the next line of business was the suspension. I was going to re-use the adjustable control arms in the rear and stock control arms in front with air ride cool ride in the front and rear. I already had all of the air ride set up and wanted to use it since my garage is not very flat and the car scraped every time I pulled it out. Then I came across an amazing deal on a new set of upper and lower front global west control arms, lower rear spherical bearing tubular arms and a set of baer anti bump stop tie rod ends. With the global west front lower arms you have to use a shockwave instead of the cool ride set up. Well 1300 bucks was not in the budget for shockwaves so I held off on the air ride for now. Up front I have Afco 650 lb 5x9.5 springs with heavy afco steel shocks and adjustable spring cups and in the rear I have performance online 3 inch drop springs that are 225 lb with afco medium steel shocks. For now I am running the stock front sway bar and none in the rear until I get some track time for tuning. I may switch to Afco pigtail rear springs with adjustable spring cups to lower the rear a bit. I also traded my knock off Z06 wheels for a set of C5 speedlines. One reason I traded was the 275/40/18 on a 10.5 wide wheel up front was a very tight fit. It would have worked if I did not run front wheel wells but I plan on doing so. I also picked up a Iroc steering box to replace the manual box I was running. I have been looking at some TSW Valencia wheels to throw on after I get it running with the tire size I would like to run. They are made for BMWs but have the correct offset I need and the bolt pattern is within .6 mm. The widest the wheel comes is 9.5 inches so I cant run a very wide tire but it will get close to what I want. I plan on using a 295/35/18 on the rear and a 255/40/18 on front. Then later down the road I will buy a set of forgeline, boze or other real pro touring wheel.

[Chevelle598bb]

Now that the suspension is finished, I am now moving to onto the motor and trans. The motor is 408 ci, iron LQ4 block, ARP main studs, .030 over, align honed, Eagle forged 4.0 stroke crank, Eagle H-beam 6.125 rods, Diamond L92 pistons, F body oil pan, Corvette LS3 balancer, Melling oil pump, 2007 LS7 camshaft, LS3 heads, Comp 918 springs, trick flow pushrods, Comp billet timing set, factory rockers, LS7 lifters, Corvette accessory drive and GMPP single plane intake. When I purchased the LS3 heads, they came with a new LS3 intake. I was planning on using the intake but really want to use a factory cowl induction hood with a factory air cleaner. That would mean I would have to switch to a single plane intake. I then came across a fellow who wanted to trade so I then had my GMPP single plane. I then picked up a Holley billet 4150 throttle body. I kept the LS7 injectors I already had and made some brackets for the LS3 billet fuel rails I already had to work with the single plane. I know its kind of a mix and match of parts but I want a reliable and efficient motor with a stock style idle. It should make plenty of power and torque for what I plan to do with the car not cause any issues. I know I am leaving some power on the table without having a custom cam ground but I think the LS7 will do what I need it to do. For the trans I am using a LS1 T56 with a LS7 clutch/flywheel combo. I have the motor and trans mocked up where I need them but I still need to make a trans crossmember.

[Chevelle598bb]

I still have quite a bit to do to the car such as clean the frame and repaint it, smooth the firewall, repaint the car, assemble the motor, rebuild the trans, finish building the engine wiring harness, dynamat the floorboards, install my covans gauge insert, make a wiring harness for the autometer gauges, get the GTO taken off my 06 GTO seats, and install the vintage air set up. I am also on the hunt for a set of headers for the car. I had a set of LS3 exhaust manifolds from a vette but they did not come close to fitting. So I am looking for a long tube header that will tuck close to the floorboard and not drag the ground. I like the edelbrock swap headers but they do not make them anymore. I will probably end up using a f body header such as a super comp or edelbrock victor due to their 1 7/8 primaries and equal length. The price of headers are just outrageous lately so whatever I can fit into the budget is what I will use.

[Amatouring]

Nice Car! you are going to love driving that thing when it is finished. I have the Edelbrock headers on my 72, and they fit great, but are still the lowest point on the car so they limit how low I can set the ride height. Please keep us updated on what header you use and how it tucks to the underbody. Are you also using the GTO rear seats? I loved the seats in my 04 GTO and have considered adding them to my 72 Chevelle.

[Chevelle598bb]

Yes I am going to use the gto rear seat also. I am going to cut 3 inches out of the bottom portion of the back seat to lower it. Then just place the stock leather cover back on it. Then I will have to make some filler panels to fill between the rear seat and rear door panel or make a new center section to the rear seat and space the buckets out. Not sure yet.

[Motown 454]

Nice looking set up.

[6D9 Matt]

Very nice man... good build. Subscribing...

[Chevelle598bb]

Well there are a few small changes coming for the car. I decided to lower the rear of the car another 1.5 inches and about another 1.5-2 in the front. I have about 7 1/4 inches of clearance at the lowest point of the outside frame and about 6 at the crossmember. So down it goes. I think it will look better to with the shorter tires. I also hashed out the A/C system finally. I am going to use a vintage air sure fit kit with a sanden compressor. I wanted to mount the compressor in the stock location. John 67 on another forum made some brackets a few years ago and sent me the templates. It moves the compressor forward to run on the main belt drive. It works with the C5 and C6 ls1,ls2,ls3 accessory drives. So now I get to play with the CNC plasma table!

[Chevelle598bb]

Also the bracket keeps you from having to notch the crossmember for clearance.

[bhcustomdesigns]

nice car cant wait to see it finished!!:twothumbs

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Sounds like she is gonna be a fun ride when its all done..

[Chevelle598bb]

I traded back for my knock off Z06 wheels. I just did not like the way the C5 speedlines looked on the car and the front tire just looked too small. For now I will run a 295/35/18 on the rear and 275/35/18 on the front with the Z06 wheels. Hopefully I will have some real updates soon for yall.

[Chevelle598bb]

After talking with Tobin about my brake set up I am going to ditch the power booster and switch to a manual set up. It will give me more room and clean up the engine compartment some.

[olblue51]

:hmm:Hmmm... I think I've seen that car before

[Chevelle598bb]

Just a few times.

[Chevelle598bb]

Well I have been spending today trying to figure out how to get the rear lower on the car. When I replaced my 12 bolt with the Moser M9 rearend the rear of the car raised about an inch due to the bigger axle tubes and higher spring mount. I am trying to figure out if a set of circle track rear pigtail 5x11 springs will lower the car or not. My performance online drop springs are have about 9.5 inches of installed height. Im not sure if a set of 200 or 225 rear circle track springs will lower it. Also I was wondering if I could cut the circle track spring seeing as the first coil is unactive. That would allow a little more drop. Anyone got any ideas? You can see the difference in the rearends in the pictures above. The pictures of the car with the draglites on it was when I had the 12 bolt in the car. In post #5 the car has the Moser M9.

[Chevelle598bb]

Well I'm still figuring out the rear spring issue and the ac compressor brackets aren't going to work the way I wanted. I am using edelbrock motor plates and the compressor is all over the motor plate and mount. So back to square one!

[gmachala404]

I am doing the LS3 71 Chevelle. I am using the Kwik brackets for a Sanden compressor its slick you should check it out. Its affordable too. Google Kwik brackets. I actually bought the brackets for the alternator and power steering from a bone yard for 150 bucks minus power steering pump and alternator. I plan to get the Kwik/Sanden setup to finish the accessory drive hopefully with a total of $500 for the whole front accessory drive system.

I got an LS3 crate engine and am doing a cam only with Stainless Works headers and 3" exhaust. I found the headers and exhaust discounted on Byun Speed. I paid around $1800 for the 1-7/8" headers and 3" exhaust system (retail would be about $2100). Folks on the LS1 tech forum are getting 460 RWHP with the cam and long tubes (2010 Camaro's) so it should be fun. I really wanted the LSX like you have but couldn't budget the money for it. It would have costs me easily 5K more than what I have in my LS3.

How in the heck do you get to try out so many wheels. That's not fair. I am really struggling with wheel choices. The wheels I like all cost 2.5K plus which is crazy. I really like the Fikse profile 5 in bushed/clear best I think. You can check out my build on here too 1971 Chevelle SS clone LS3 swap. Love your car :-) going to watch yours too.

I love the late model GTO seats too. Nice choice. I went with an 04 Z06 pair of seats. I was able to get the power seat to work fairly easily too.
I'd rather have the GTO seats but hard to find at a reasonable price. I got a good deal on the Z06 seats and they look nice just the Z06 logo is kind of odd.

[AZSaleen04]

Nice Build!!

[Chevelle598bb]

I have seen the kwik a/c bracket but I wanted to keep it low mount so I could run the ac lines under the fender for a cleaner appearance. Now I may just break down and buy a kwik bracket. There is also a one piece billet bracket on eBay. Looks simple to make on a mill. So that's up in the air right now. Finally got the motor set where it needs to go. The passenger hear is 1.75 inches from the firewall and I have an inch of clearance between the f body oil pan and the crossmember.

I got all of my front accessory brackets from a local gm dealer for about 200 bucks. I got my water pump from a local guy off a crate ls3. I still need an alternator and power steering pump.

I own the black z06 wheels and a buddy had the c5 speedlines. I liked the c5s but the fronts were too narrow (only 8 inches wide). The z06s are 9.5 and 10.5 wide. I have to run spacers with the corvette wheels but they are full billet with hardened studs so I don't think they will be an issue. I torque everything religiously anyways. I am looking at the new zr1 replicas. It is hard finding 18x10, 18x11,19x11 cast style (affordable) wheels. They do make the zr1s in 19x12 but that's a little too big unfortunately. I wish some 2 or 3 piece wheels were in the budget but there arent. I like The whole Fikse line up but the profil 10 is my favorite.

I ended up cutting the top pig tails off of my drop springs (1.5 inches total) for a total of 2 inches of drop. I need to check rearend to floor clearance since I am running a moser m9 which is massive. I also need to check shock clearance and stroke length. Now I need to cut the spring adjusters in the front to drop the front some more.

[StyleIn68]

Nice. What are you going to be using for engine management with that intake setup?

[Chevelle598bb]

I am building a stand alone harness and I will be using a 2002 f body ECM. I will place the air intake temp sensor in the air filter base and run it in speed density mode. I will also be using a wide band for tuning. I had a 94 camaro a while back that I swapped an ls1 into. It always ran better with a speed density tune than a Maf tune.

[gmachala404]

I did the same with the brackets got them for 300 with tensioner and a power steering pump reservoir and a PS pulley all for a Vette setup. I too need the alternator and PS pump. The alternator and PS pump are not cheap. Found some used ones 90 for alternator and 125 for pump.

I am kind of up in the air about what kind of suspension to go with. You know the LS3 is about 100lbs-150lbs lighter than what I had. Plus I am putting battery in the trunk and putting a cold air intake box where the battery was so thats pushing about 200lbs off the front. So ride heights and springs/rates going to be tricky. I thought about using the adjustable lower control arms in the SC&C kit http://scandc.com/new/node/740 so I can tweak the front if need be.

BTW what kind of fuel tank setup you gonna go with?

[Chevelle598bb]

I am just going to keep an eye out on e(vil)bay for the alternator and ps pump. I have a buddy that runs an autoparts store and can get me a good discount but it is still some cash.

The LS3 set up is much lighter than my all iron bbc i had in there before. I am adding a few things back in, such as a/c, ps, radio, heat, power seats and a few other things. I still think the car will be about the same weight after I am done. Im not sure if I want to keep the battery in the back or put it back in the front for a factory look. I may keep it in the back because I want to autocross the car some and the factory hold down is pretty flimsy. I've already had one battery take a dive into the alternator so Ill probly just keep it where it is. Also it will make the audio wiring easier if I keep it in the back.

Well I haven't locked down the fuel system yet but I do have a nice factory tank that I may cut open and baffle. Then I would just integrate a walbro pump onto the stock pick up. I also have a 96 b-body tank that I may throw in there. I don't like how much they hang down but the extra capacity will help with the trip on power tour. Also I wont have any issues with the pump sucking air with the impala tank.

[Mikes83ss]

I like the draglites the best on that car.

[andrewb70]

I like the draglites the best on that car.

He had to swap them because the 80's called and they want their wheels back...

Andrew

[AZSaleen04]

He had to swap them because the 80's called and they want their wheels back...

Andrew

LOL!!! They are the best looking drag wheels but for sure they belong in the 80's or just drag racing.

[Chevelle598bb]

That is funny. To be fair, I do like draglites but they only do one thing well, go in a straight line. Now Andrew, the eighties didn't call to get the wheels back, a guy with an 80s mustang called and got them. Thats what they are on now. Andrew, nice goat by the way.

[Chevelle598bb]

Well a buddy of mine is setting me up with a great deal on a new set of z06 c6 brakes and new rear intro pentias in 20x10 with new tires. A deal I can't pass up. So I have a c5 z06 front and 12 inch rear ford explorer disc set up for sale. Thanks ole blue.

[AZSaleen04]

Great setup!

[Chevelle598bb]

I didn't want to change up the set up this far along in the build but it was a deal I couldn't refuse. Now if I can sell my old set up.

[Chevelle598bb]

Well here are a few pics of the new wheels in mock up. I need to narrow the m9 housing a few inches to get the wheels to work.

[Chevelle598bb]

Forgot to add, the rear is at ride height and the front needs to go down a few inches. I am going to wait to set that until I get my front wheels and tires. The tire size on the rear is 295/40/20. A little taller than I wanted to run but they are brand new bfgs and came with the wheels, so I will use them for now. Next time I will run a 295/35/20.

[Nemesis RR]

[QUOTE=Chevelle598bb;824744]

Were did you bolt the harness without a roll bar?

[Chevelle598bb]

The lap belts were bolt to the stock seat belt locations. The top harness was just put through the seat. Those pics were before a cage was installed.

[AZSaleen04]

Looking great!

[Nick.V70]

He had to swap them because the 80's called and they want their wheels back...

Andrew

hahahaha.... thats pretty good. Really that was the look for a long time and crazy how much the car changed with the first set of wheels and tires and now these new ones.... man this is looking good....I am liking the re-vamp. I have a buddy that still has his high school '65 stang I am trying to get him to do this same flip. Really the car is short suspension and wheels/tires. Not too bad if you have had the car for along time.

[Chevelle598bb]

Well the rearend is narrowed and new rear wheels and tires fit like a glove. The tires are pretty old (5 years) but they are brand new with the stickers still on them. They were stored with no air in them and I was successful in airing one up today. The other tire has one spot where the bead is unseated and not sealing. I tried soap and water, weight and airing up the tire but to no avail. So off to the tire shop tommorrow to have them remount the tire. I am very glad I got such a good deal on the wheels tires and brakes because billet wheels were never in the budget. Now that I seem them on the car, I would have never been happy until I got a set. Thanks again ole blue!

[Chevelle598bb]

Well got the tires remounted and rebalanced. They checked out good with no flat spots, so thats some goood news. The wheels look and fit great on the car now since I had the rearend narrowed. I will get some pics soon of the car on the ground with the wheels on it. I also still need to drop the front end a few inches.

[Chevelle598bb]

Here are a few pics of the car with the new rear wheels and the front dropped 1.5 inches. I don't have the new front wheels yet so I'm still rockin the vette wheels for a bit during mock up.

[ponchopwr70]

Damn those rears look good!

[chuckd71]

Cool pics, glad you posted with different wheels. Billet looks much better than the black. Good stuff.

[willj313]

sweet ride love the wheels

[Chevelle598bb]

Thanks for the complements guys. I really could not be happier with the wheels. It worked out well having to narrow the rear because now I have a big deep dish wheel due to the 4.5 backspace. Hopefully I will get the front wheels and tires soon. I am going to run a 18x9 with a 265/40 or 275/40 tire. d

[T00LMAN]

Wheels make the car look so much better!

[olblue51]

Those wheels look perfect on your car. It's sad to see them go but they were too big for my car. Glad to see them stay in the family, though.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/09/100_2577-1.jpg

[Chevelle598bb]

Gotta keep it in the family bro. Now we just need to get a set for your camaro. You need to get off your butt and start a build thread to document that bad camaro. Hey everyone, blow up olblue51's inbox, telling him to get off his ass and start a build thread.

[Nemesis RR]

any mini tubbing to get the wheels to fit?

[Chevelle598bb]

Nope, still the factory wheel wells. I just had to narrow the rear end 1.5 inches on each side due to the wheels having a 4.5 inch backspace. Normally guys running 20x10 wheels on chevelles run a 5.5-6 inch backspace. I haven't trimmed the fender at all but I will trim about 1/4 just to give the tire some breathing room when the suspension is articulating. The tire size is 295/40/20

[Chevelle598bb]

Well its been a little bit since the last project update, but I just got back from vacation in Colorado. I picked up a set of Qa1 single adjustable coil overs for the rear of the car. I got a good deal on them and they were the right measurements for me. I mocked the coil overs up in the stock location of the shock in the rear. The bottom of the coil over bolts directly to stock shock mount on the rear end. I purchased a set of ABC upper coil over mount brackets from ChevelleNV (thanks) that bolt into the stock shock upper mount on the frame and supplies a double shear mount for the upper coil over mount. They are currently in transit right now so I haven't got to mock up the coil overs with the upper mounts yet. WIth just letting the upper mount of the coil over sit in the shock pocket of the frame in the rear they fit perfect, so this may be a new way just to bolt coil overs on. With the coil overs in and the coil springs out, the ride height is the same as with the coils. When I put the upper mounts in, the ride height should go up about .5 to .75 of an inch which will be perfect. So we will have to wait and see how the car handles with this set up. If it works well then I will do a write up on the install of the coil overs.

Now since I have coil overs in the rear, I am looking to do a coil over set up in the front also. I currently have my front suspension set up (Global West arms, 650 lbs afco springs, spring adjusters and disc spindles) for sale in the for sale section of the forum. I am looking at either the Chassisworks front Gstreet setup with the Varishock coil overs or the Ridetech set up with the Ridetech coil overs. Anyone got any suggestions?

[mild2wildpaintngraphics]

Lots of happy customers with the new Ridetech coilovers.

[gasfumes]

Ride looks good love the wheels.

[Chevelle598bb]

Well I got the rear upper coil over mounts bolted in with the coil overs. Ride height went up about an inch with the coil overs set at proper height. I can drop it a bit if I fab up another lower mount for the coil over to drop it. I like where the ride height is and I am going leave it there. I raised the front suspension to level the car and now the front and rear of the car are level. The front crossmember is 5 inches from the ground. I don't want to go any lower due to header clearance and also the Baer anti bump steer tie rod ends are much larger than stock tie rod ends. Currently there is not alot of clearance and if the front was any lower than I would have tie rod to frame clearance issues with suspension travel. I was trying to sell my global west control arm set up and go with a chassisworks or ridetech front coil over set up. I decided I am going to keep my global west arms and put a coil over in the front with a double shear top mount. Similar to what the new GW coil over set up does but I will just make my own mount. I was also thinking of using the Chassisworks tall 2 inch drop spindle to replace my factory spindle. That would move my tie rod down for more clearance and maybe better suspension geometry. Anyone have a set up like this? I just need to figure that out before I make my coil over mounts because the length of the coil over would be longer with the drop spindle than the stock spindle. Here are a few picks of the coil over set up in the rear and final ride height pics. Keep in mind the rear coil overs are just in mock up mode hence improper harware and spacer for lower mount. Well the pics are going to have to wait. I took the pics with my good camera and the files are too big to post. So I have to figure out how to make them smaller. Pics will come soon.

[CruizinKev]

wow looks great! love the wheels!!! :twothumbs

[Chevelle598bb]

Here are pics of the rear coil overs

[Chevelle598bb]

Here are some pics of the final ride height and crossmember clearance. The crossmember is 5 inches from the ground.

[Chevelle598bb]

Here are some pics of my current GW set up with afco coils. The top shock mount is what I will cut out and replace it with a double shear mount for a coil over. I will also have to rebrace the upper control arm mount.

[ChevelleNV]

Glad to see those rear coil over mounts worked perfect for ya, cars looking sick...

[64Chevelle383]

I may have missed it, but just wondering what mounts and oil pan you are using for your build. Any idea if these would fit a 67 chevelle?

[Chevelle598bb]

Thanks Greg, they do fit great. Hopefully they will work as good as they look and fit.

I am using edlebrock Adapter plates, energy suspension mounts, short motor stands (stock 350 stands) and f body oil pan. I had to move the frame stands 3/4 inch back to gain oil pan clearance. The passenger side cylinder head is one inch from the firewall. Now I have plenty of clearance every where. I don't have headers yet so that maybe an obstacle. I'm not sure if this set up will work on 64-67 because I know the crossmembers are a little different.

[andrewb70]

The first big bump you hit with the rear will bend the bolt that attaches the lower part of the coil over to the axle bracket. You can't just space the mount out like that. Remember, that point was only designed for the shock mount, it was never designed to support the weight of the car. So now, in addition to supporting the weight of the car it is also spaced out 2 inches. All bad...

Andrew

[Chevelle598bb]

I was thinking of using the same mount location but reinforcing it with a bolt thru type mount.

[andrewb70]

I was thinking of using the same mount location but reinforcing it with a bolt thru type mount.

I am not quite sure what you mean. I would suggest looking at how some of the other coilover kits are attached.

Andrew

[dhutton]

A lower mount like this will be stronger and allow you to adjust the ride height:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p5197.c0.m619&item=270826006779&viewitem=&category=33582

Here is another option:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Coil-over-Shock-V-901-Y-Lower-Rear-Mount-Kit-/270817122133?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f0df55755

[Chevelle598bb]

The second link is essentially the same set up as I have now which is the lower mount just bolted or sliding on a stud. The bolt shear strength is the only thing that I am worried about with my set up. The factory brackets on factory rearends were made with thin flimsy metal or atleast it was on my factory 12 bolt. My current rearend is a Moser M9 and came with new brackets welded on from Moser. The lower shock/lower control arm mounts are 3/16 or 1/4 plate and are hydroformed. Super thick and sturdy. So the shear strength of the bolt like Andrew brought up is what I am thinking may be an issue. It would be very simple to make an outer portion that would weld to the lower control arm mount and make a "double shear" style mount for the lower coilover mount. Just like the aftermarket companies make but just not adjustable. Right now the ride heigth is where the coilovers need to be and I am happy the car's ride height.

[dhutton]

I think the issue is as Andrew said. You have the coilover spaced out 2 inches on that stud and it will likely bend and eventually break.

[Chevelle598bb]

Right, the spacer is an 11/4 inches and the current spacer is just something I had in my spare bolt bin. The permanent spacer will be .250 thick DOM tubing welded to the shock mount. I think with that and another bracket welded to the shock mount for support on the outside of the coilover will be fine.

[wing_0797]

Is that still fuel injected? if so how? I am running a 442 hood and it would be nice for the induction to work...




Now that the suspension is finished, I am now moving to onto the motor and trans. The motor is 408 ci, iron LQ4 block, ARP main studs, .030 over, align honed, Eagle forged 4.0 stroke crank, Eagle H-beam 6.125 rods, Diamond L92 pistons, F body oil pan, Corvette LS3 balancer, Melling oil pump, 2007 LS7 camshaft, LS3 heads, Comp 918 springs, trick flow pushrods, Comp billet timing set, factory rockers, LS7 lifters, Corvette accessory drive and GMPP single plane intake. When I purchased the LS3 heads, they came with a new LS3 intake. I was planning on using the intake but really want to use a factory cowl induction hood with a factory air cleaner. That would mean I would have to switch to a single plane intake. I then came across a fellow who wanted to trade so I then had my GMPP single plane. I then picked up a Holley billet 4150 throttle body. I kept the LS7 injectors I already had and made some brackets for the LS3 billet fuel rails I already had to work with the single plane. I know its kind of a mix and match of parts but I want a reliable and efficient motor with a stock style idle. It should make plenty of power and torque for what I plan to do with the car not cause any issues. I know I am leaving some power on the table without having a custom cam ground but I think the LS7 will do what I need it to do. For the trans I am using a LS1 T56 with a LS7 clutch/flywheel combo. I have the motor and trans mocked up where I need them but I still need to make a trans crossmember.

[andrewb70]

Right, the spacer is an 11/4 inches and the current spacer is just something I had in my spare bolt bin. The permanent spacer will be .250 thick DOM tubing welded to the shock mount. I think with that and another bracket welded to the shock mount for support on the outside of the coilover will be fine.

Okie dokie...I don't think that will do it, but it is your car.

Andrew

[Chevelle598bb]

Your right it is my car so I'll try it and see. If it doesn't work then Ill change it up.

[Chevelle598bb]

Yes it is still fuel injected. I am running an l92 gmpp single plane, Holley 1200 cfm 4150 throttle body, ls7 injectors, ls1 computer with a speed density tune.

[wing_0797]

That sounds cool, how dose all of that come together? like the setup, I know the fuel is supplied by the fuel rails I notice the throttle body has a pig tail.




Yes it is still fuel injected. I am running an l92 gmpp single plane, Holley 1200 cfm 4150 throttle body, ls7 injectors, ls1 computer with a speed density tune.

[Chevelle598bb]

It works pretty much the same as a stock intake. Fuel is supplied by the injectors and through the injector rails. The throttle body has the iac motor and tps sensor installed on it. The air intake temp is placed inside the air cleaner. The only sensor not used is Maf sensor. That is why you must run a speed density tune for your engine which is based off VE and throttle position instead of how much air is coming in the motor.

[andrewb70]

Your right it is my car so I'll try it and see. If it doesn't work then Ill change it up.

I just hope that when it fails it won't cause a wreck, that's all...

Andrew

[wing_0797]

Thanks for the info, Speed density I'll look into that...




It works pretty much the same as a stock intake. Fuel is supplied by the injectors and through the injector rails. The throttle body has the iac motor and tps sensor installed on it. The air intake temp is placed inside the air cleaner. The only sensor not used is Maf sensor. That is why you must run a speed density tune for your engine which is based off VE and throttle position instead of how much air is coming in the motor.

[Chevelle598bb]

Now I am in search of a front suspension set up. I sold my global west upper and lower arms, stock spindles and spring set up. After speaking with Marcus, I am looking at the SPC uppper and lower arm, ATS spindle, and QA1 17 inch coil overs with custom double shear upper mount set up and the Chassisworks G-street coil over set up with the tall spindle. I know the SPC and ATS will have better geometry and more adjustability but it is quite a bit more cash than Chassisworks G-street set up. Got some thinking to do. How much will I actually be driving the car versus autocrossing / road coarse. Right now definately more of a street car but would like the ability to run in some events if I want too. Plus my Z06 brakes bolt directly to the ATS spindles. I always find a way to justify the more expensive way to go.

[joeko23]

looks great!

[Chevelle598bb]

I forgot about another set up I am looking into. It is SPc upper and lower arms, tall ball joints, stock spindles and custom coilover mount

[Amatouring]

I forgot about another set up I am looking into. It is SPc upper and lower arms, tall ball joints, stock spindles and custom coilover mount

Many A body guys are running this basic setup with both springs or the coil overs with great success. My 72 is really just a street cruiser, and I also wondered if I really needed something like this. After installing the stage2+ stuff, I have to tell you that the car has a whole new personality and is much easier to drive aggressively even if it just on the highway. IMHO, DO IT - DO IT NOW.

[Chevelle598bb]

Well I bit the bullet and ordered the ATS/SPC setup for the car. It just had too many advantages over the other front suspension set ups. It did cost more than the others but only by a few hundred dollars when you consider all the small stuff I needed along with the control arms and spindles such as brake brackets and hubs. All built into the ATS set up and stronger than the rest, not to mention the better geometry.

[Chevelle598bb]

I can't wait for my new front suspension to come in. The ATS spindles come in next week. I have to wait a few more weeks for my upper control arms since Marcus has hooked me up with something special (very hush hush I would have to kill you if I told you stuff). Can't wait to check it out, mock it up and then take it all back off for paint!

[Chevelle598bb]

I posted my induction set up for sale in the for sale section of the forum. It consist of a GMPP single plane intake, 4BBL holley 1000 cfm throttle body, LS7 injectors and fuel rails. I was going to use this set up with a factory cowl induction hood and cowl induction air cleaner. Well I decided I want to do something different and go with a flat hood. So I am going to go with the new Holley LS3 Hi-ram intake and do some sort of bulge on the flat hood to make it fit. The intake is only about 2 inches taller than the hood at the front of the motor. Here are some pics of the set up I have for sale and of the new intake I am going to go with.

[craigs73]

thats sweet :machine: i like the valve covers as well whats the story on those

[Chevelle598bb]

Yeah the valve cover covers are cool too. I will probably relocate my coils and use some gmpp vavle covers. Proform is coming out with some new aluminum valve covers but there are no pics yet, so we will have to see what they come out with.

[boostin05blacksti]

Thanks for the complements guys. I really could not be happier with the wheels. It worked out well having to narrow the rear because now I have a big deep dish wheel due to the 4.5 backspace. Hopefully I will get the front wheels and tires soon. I am going to run a 18x9 with a 265/40 or 275/40 tire. d

The wheels look great man, although I did love the black on black. Did you narrow the rear yourself of have a compnay do it..? If you had a company do it would you mind telling me how much you paid..pm is fine. Thanks Steven

[Chevelle598bb]

In person the black on black looks good but in pictures it drove me crazy. It just looked like I had a set of steel wheels on the car. Steven I sent you a pm.

[andrewb70]

..... i like the valve covers as well whats the story on those

Those are coil covers made by Holley. They are on their website.

Andrew

[Chevelle598bb]

Shortly I will be recieving new SPc Uca with delrin bushings. Mark swore me to secrecy when I ordered them a few weeks back. Since he has finally let the cat out of the bag I can talk about then now. Hopefully my spindles will be here next week and arms week after next.

[andrewb70]

Shortly I will be recieving new SPc Uca with delrin bushings. Mark swore me to secrecy when I ordered them a few weeks back. Since he has finally let the cat out of the bag I can talk about then now. Hopefully my spindles will be here next week and arms week after next.

Why would a company want to keep their new product a secret? LOL

Andrew

[Chevelle598bb]

Mark wasn't able to Talk about it until SPc revealed it at Sema. Now he can and will be putting info about the new arms on his website soon.

[Chevelle598bb]

Finally got to mock up the new manifold on the motor. I am going to have to figure out something for the hood.

[Chevelle598bb]

Well I will be receiving a set of L&H kustoms billet spindles for the car. Too make a long story short, I ordered a set of ats spindles in October and speedtech dropped the ball on how many spindles they had in stock. They didn't have enough to fill my order and didn't have enough parts to build a set for me. I don't have enough time to wait 2 to 10 months for a set of spindles. Oh well.

[cwmiller]

Just got a chance to check out your build, Love it man! Car looks great!

[Chevelle598bb]

Thanks, I'm trying to get it done before power tour this summer. We will see!

[Chevelle598bb]

Got my new Fast 90mm TB in today. Yes!

[bart0510]

Wicked build, Love it! How much did you end up lower the suspension?

[Chevelle598bb]

The rear is lowered about 3.5 inches and it should be about the same in the front. The front crossmember will be about 5 inches from the ground.

[Chevelle598bb]

Well still waiting for spindles. Ordered them in mid October and still haven't got them!

[andrewb70]

Well still waiting for spindles. Ordered them in mid October and still haven't got them!

Didn't you cancel the ATS spindle order? Or is it the L&K spindles that haven't arrived?

Andrew

[Chevelle598bb]

Well I canceled my ats order in December and ordered the L&H spindles at the same time. I was supposed to receive them this week but that's not going to happen. I got an email from Marcus yesterday saying they are still being machined and it will be a few more weeks. I'm getting very agitated with this situation. It's not 20 bucks we are talking about here, it's a hundred times that and I still have no product. Well I did receive my upper control arms so I did get partial order. .

[Chevelle598bb]

Big surprise update - still waiting on spindles.

[Chevelle598bb]

I need some opinions from you guys on a front wheel size. I need to order my front wheels to match my rears i already have Intro Pentia. I was planning on doing a 18x9 with a 275/40/18 in the front. I am running a 20x10 on the rear with a 295/40/20 and will switch to a 295/35/20 when I burn through the first set. Question is the more I look the more I like the 19/20 look. The problem is intro doesn't offer the pentia in a 19x9 only 8 or 10 wide. I'm trying to keep the front and rear sidewalls close to the same height. Any suggestions?

[Chevelle598bb]

Looks like I maybe stuck with a 19x8 with a 245/40/19 tire. A little narrower than I want but they don't offer the wheel in a 19x9. I have the fat lip pentia on the rear so the fronts will be the same. I am wondering if I should go up a size on the tire to a 255/40/19 due to the fat lip wheel.

[Chevelle598bb]

Not a big update but I picked up a new in box 3 inch flowmaster exhaust for 300 bones at Pate swap meet. After looking at the system for a few minutes I realized it was Chuck Hanson selling the system. That was pretty cool.

[Chevelle598bb]

Front rotors came in today.

[Chevelle598bb]

Front calipers came in today. These are sweet!

[Simmo]

Nice Brakes

Will follow closely how you go about fitting!

[bonecrrusher]

Those look very familiar - I have been looking at a set for my G8.

If you don't mind me asking, Where did you get yours from - and what did you pay for the?

[TheBandit]

Any updates? Ever get your spindles & put the suspension together?

[Chevelle598bb]

Any updates? Ever get your spindles & put the suspension together?

As far as I know the l&h spindles are still on hiatus. I cancelled my order a few weeks ago and bought a set of l&h spindles from Tommycomfort. Those should be here this week. Then I can get started on the brake brackets.

[Chevelle598bb]

As far as I know the l&h spindles are still on hiatus. I cancelled my order a few weeks ago and bought a set of l&h spindles from Tommycomfort. Those should be here this week. Then I can get started on the brake brackets.

[Chevelle598bb]

Got my spindles finally. Too bad I waited almost 10 months for a new set before I cancelled my order and bought a used set. Oh well.

[Chevelle598bb]

Got my L&H spindles installed and its back on four wheels. Its been almost a year since it rolled last. I still need to machine my rotors (67mm hub to 70mm) and make front and rear coilover mounts. Its finally cooling off here in Texas so I can get to work!

I also brushed the lip of the rear wheels and plasti dipped the centers black just to see what they would look like. I needed to polish both rears anyways so it was worth a shot. I like the way they came out. I am going to paint the centers with real paint and then clear the entire wheel. Plasti dip is cool but doesn't look good enough and is not durable enough.

[bonecrrusher]

Hey - I put those brakes on my G8 a few months back - and they stop better then my z06 setup I have on the C6!

I got Hawk HPS pads with them - they where on national backorder - so you might have some problems finding them.

[Chevelle598bb]

I got Hawk HPS pads for mine too. I got them from amazon in 1 day luckily. I have had to deal with too many backorders lately.

[BLACKLIST]

anything new on this? still going?

[Chevelle598bb]

Im still going but at a slow rate. We just built a new house (three car garage! Yes!) and we are moving in this weekend after I stain the garage floor. So the chevelle has been in storage jail for almost 10 months now. The wife put me on a super budget for a little while but I have a bunch of fab stuff I can do for free. Im ready ro get back on it!

[Chevelle598bb]

I picked up this little gem for a song today. Still got some fab work to do. I am trying to get my garage set up before I tear into the car.

[LowNfast]

I hope the T56 is from a GTO. I wish i knew what I know now about T56's. Mine is from a 02 trans am and doesnt like sustained high rpm shifting. They fixed it in the GTO's with better internals.


This should be a ton of fun once its on the road.... Im interested to see how much that 408 will pull on my LY6.