I'm finally getting around to starting the build thread. I've referred to so many other builds on this and similar websites over the past 1.5 years, thanks to all of you for the inspiration. ...but why did ALL of you forget to tell me how addicting and expensive this hobby is?! I've never done a project like this and/or made a build thread so let me know if there are any other suggestions on what I should be doing with making this build thread. Thanks all!
With the tremendous help this website offers, I have been able to figure out a lot of questions with this thing. The only thing that keeps stumping me is the name of the project. I'm looking for suggestions. Any help with that?! I'm about to name it "BallzDeep" because it seems like a never ending project and every time another big expense comes up all I can say is "Well, I've come this far with it, might as well keep going".
This thing started back in June of 2014. I have always loved and wanted a 67-69 Camaro. I have owned and toyed with plenty of newer modern sports and "muscle" cars but have always had a thing for pro touring older cars. I found this thing on Craigslist about 2 hours south of me and called with some questions. It looked good in pictures and sounded even better when I went to check it out. Next thing you know, I'm trailering this thing home. I knew the paint and body had been redone and half-assed but the car looked and sounded great from 10 feet away. Being a rookie to older cars, I wasn't exactly sure what to pay attention to with body/paint issues. Now I know! ...the left/rear quarter panel had been chop shop replaced, rust in many locations was covered with mud, paint over-spray, misaligned body gaps, etc. But it looked and sounded great! :headbang:
After approximately four months of driving and playing with it, I starting thinking about how nice it would be to have comfortable seats and an engine that was fuel injected with no odor of raw fuel when I drove it. Here's where it alllll begins!
I called a guy I know at LKQ used part/salvage yard in Denver and simply asked if he ever comes across any decently priced and low mile LS2's with T56's bolted to them. He said he could probably find something for me. Well, about two months later he calls me and says "Hey, I can't find any LS2's but I do have an LS3 with the TR6060 sitting on it in a wrecked 2013 Camaro SS with only 1,100 miles." Boom! Perfect. It was mine. I then advertised and sold the 383 stroker, 700r4, ignition system, fuel system, and all of the other accessories that were in the car as a turn-key package on Craigslist within a couple of weeks. https://static1.pt-content.com/image...5_152625-1.jpg https://static1.pt-content.com/image...1_100612-1.jpg
Now I get to thinking again... Crap, now I'll have a newer modern engine but I'm still going to have old crappy loose steering and suspension. Next thing you know, I'm looking at subframes. With the many awesome choices out there, I settled on a Heidt's Pro-G subframe. https://static1.pt-content.com/image...2_163600-1.jpg
I sent the stock engine wire harness over to Jeff at My-efi.com. He is a good dude that answered tons of questions for me about how to make the LS3 work in this car. Many people that have seen my completed and re-worked harness are impressed. They say it's every part of being as nice as a new harness from Speartech or any of the other more popular options. https://static1.pt-content.com/image...0harness-1.jpg
More to come...
06-10-2016
snichols28
Next step, seats! I was able to find a nice set of seats out of a 2006 Pontiac GTO. I can't remember where I found them but it was a place somewhere on the east coast. They had the seats to me in no time. These things were the comfort I was wanting! Now I stripped the original seats, console, steering column, gauges, dash components and ditched them on Craigslist. This kind of stuff sells in a hurry! https://static1.pt-content.com/image...3_215750-1.jpg https://static1.pt-content.com/image...3_215805-1.jpg
06-10-2016
snichols28
So many different things going with the car, anxiety kicks in! Now I NEED wheels.
Knowing that I'm wanting a pro touring kinda' ride, I start digging into ideas with wheels and all of the looks with the different sizing, backspacing, etc. I have always loved Z06 spoked pro touring type wheels. Billet Specialties seemed to make the best replicated Z06 looking wheel. Talking with Schwartz Performance, they hooked me up and helped me with ordering the "GTR Concave Shallow" wheel from Billet Specialties. Knowing what subframe I had, I was able to get all of my measurements for the front. In the front I went with 18"x9". I have always liked the look of deep dish wheels. Knowing that I eventually would want to mini-tub the car, Billet Specialties recommended going with a 12" wide wheel with 6" backspacing. I ended up going with 18"x12"s in the rear. Knowing that polished finishes are a pain to keep up with, I opted to have them clear powdercoat the center of the wheels. Hopefully this helps with keeping them spotless!
Enjoying this. Sounds like it will be awesome. I have come think that buying an unmolested car that looks crappy but shows all its secrets is the way to go. No nasty surprises that way and you get it way cheaper at the start.
06-10-2016
Zoomin
Man, it looked so nice too.
Going back with the same paint scheme?
06-10-2016
Crestronwizard
I like these builds. Keep the updates coming!
06-10-2016
snichols28
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zoomin
Man, it looked so nice too.
Going back with the same paint scheme?
It was one of those 10-footers... looked damn good from 10 feet away.
06-10-2016
snichols28
Body work!
I spent quite a bit of time looking at options for body work. I had heard of and read quite a bit about AMD Installation in Georgia. In April of 2015 I emailed a few pics of the car's condition over to Craig at AMD Installation and pretty much just asked what a "worst case" estimate would be to replace every piece of metal from the firewall back. He was excellent to talk to and left me with the comfort of knowing that it would be no big deal to replace all of the metal the car needed and he would only need the car for one to two months to get all of it done (compared to by shops that were telling me they might need it for a year or so to do the same work). I sent a deposit to him to reserve my spot in their schedule for starting the work July of 2015. Spending more time now to look for a reputable car transport company to give this thing a round trip from Colorado to Georgia and back two months later was a chore but I got it handled. Next thing you know it's July and the car is being loaded up and on the way to Georgia! https://static1.pt-content.com/image...9_191459-1.jpg https://static1.pt-content.com/image...9_202941-1.jpg https://static1.pt-content.com/image...9_203042-1.jpg https://static1.pt-content.com/image...9_203605-1.jpg
06-10-2016
snichols28
Car arrives in Georgia a few days later and they rip into it give me a more thorough estimate of what it needs. By this time I had planned on the worst. Sure enough, it's crazy where rust is hidden!
Craig decides replacing every piece of metal except for the upper firewall panel (with vin plate on it), the a-pillars, the upper dash panel, and the lower interior dash panel was needed if I wanted it done correctly. Game Time!
06-10-2016
snichols28
Body replacement progress!
Craig kept me updated with absolutely everything on the progress. Here are some of the daily/weekly pictures I received. Holy sh*t this was the real deal!
Oh, and I asked if they could install the Detroit Speed mini tubs in it while it was apart. Sign me up! ..I mean, everyone else is doing it, right?! I had to pay for the parts but no extra labor charge since it was already apart this far.
Car is back at the beginning of September 2015! ...yes, it took less than two months for them to do all of that work. I can't say how completely impressed I am with the work AMD Installation did. Fair priced, quick to complete the work, I would/will 100% use them again and refer anyone to them.
I forgot to mention, just before the car came back from Georgia, I was helping a buddy get the motor out of his Mustang and off to have it made bigger and better. With the continual friendly trash talk of Mustang vs. Camaro with him, I inquired about having some work done on my LS3.... I have heard faster is better! :6gears:
I wasn't really worried about having any work done to the heads as the flow on these stock LS3 heads is already pretty kick ass. I was talked into doing a 416 stroker though!
Pete at Total Precision Engines was the man! We went forged internals and studded everything.
4" stroke Molnar Technologies forged crankshaft
6.125" Molnar Technologies forged connecting rods
CP-Carrillo forged pistons and rings
Fel-Pro gaskets throughout
ARP Pro Series main and head studs
Torque plate bored and honed
Rotating assembly balance
COMP Cams 54-454-11 camshaft
COMP Cams 26926TS-KIT Beehive LS dual valve springs
COMP Cams 7955-16 Pushrods
COMP Cams 13702-KIT GM LS Series Retrofit Trunnion Kit
Fitting an oil pan was the next trick. There wasn't much clearance between engine and power steering rack in that Heidt's subframe. The only thing that would give me enough clearance was the Holley 302-2 pan. Holley says it won't work with a stroker LS engine so I had to cut it apart a little bit and had my buddy Matt do some of his fabrication magic so the crankshaft would clear with the stroke.