Project: LONG HAUL - LONG ROOF

[rchaskin]

Just picked up a set of GM Performance Parts Fast Burn heads for the wagon. I think this normally takes the ZZ4 from 355 HP to 385 HP but the new ZZ5 uses a ZZ4 short block with the new Fast Burn heads with beehive springs to make right at 400HP and pretty fair torque. So, obviously we're ordering the parts to convert them...

Those heads are awesome. You wont think it is the same motor once you bolt them on!!!!!!

[tommycomfort]

Holy cow it's been a long time since we updated this thread!

Finally getting around to bolting on the GMPP Fast Burn heads. Since everything was looking pretty dingy we decided to yank the engine and detail things a bit at the same time. Deb, cleaned the heck out of it before the fresh coat of paint.




After buying the heads I found out that the new version of the Fast Burn heads use beehive valve springs and they get a little more top end out of them so I figured we had to upgrade to those. Then just a couple of months ago Hotrod did a story on the new ZZ6 engine and they made significant improvements by adding 1.6 ratio full roller rocker arms so I found a new set on ebay and executed that plan. Of all the performance things we've done, this is the first small block we've had with full roller rockers. They also look cool to me!



The big issue came when we went to put the Holley Avenger port injection intake back on and realized that I could look right down into the intake ports. I had read that they had .240 raised intake runners a hundred times but never made the connection on what that meant...


We basically had a handful of options but the one we chose was to buy a Chevrolet Performance single plane intake manifold (same as the ZZ6) and use a Holley throttle body injection system instead of the Holley Avenger port injection that was on it. I bought the Terminator system last year for a 1985 Suburban that I'm working on so it was just sitting there. Now the Burb will get the tried and true Avenger system that has been on the wagon. The only hassle was removing the Avenger ECM and harness and replacing it with the Terminator one. At least they mounted the same way. With Sam and I trying to get it out from under the dash it looked like we were playing twister.



So that's where we stand today. Hopefully tomorrow when I get home from the firehouse I can start to button things up. Still lots to do!

[Motown 454]

It looks like you guys are doing a nice job Tom. The motor looks sweet in there all dolled up.

[eric1967]

It wont be long we will be grabbing cookies from the back of the wagon. Tom I hope the shoulder is doing well.

[Ben@SpeedTech]

Awesome! That engine should rock and make the car that much more fun!

Interesting, I ran into the same issue you had with the intake- I'm also doing an engine swap, my wagon's engine recently broke. I have a sbc engine that was in my street strip Nova but hasn't seen any action for 10+ years, so I decided to swap it into the wagon. It has World Products Sportsman II heads and a Victor Jr intake while the old wagon engine had GM 400 sbc heads and a Proform air gap dual plane. To help build low end better I put the dual plane on the Nova's motor, first cleaning and painting it nice, and then "glued" and bolted it down. That's when I realized that I could see into the intake ports just like yours. Ugh! I ended up having to put the single plane back on. I guess the wasted gaskets, new gasket cost and my time was a harsh reminder to test fit before assembling, lol!

Well the progress on your wagon is looking good, and it'll be fun to see how the extra power pans out. Your wagon has always been an inspiration to me and seeing pics of it everywhere helped push me to make mine better. I still hope meet up some day and do the battle of the wagons at an event. My wife has a mean brownie recipe so maybe I'll bring a basket of those and the car with the slower time has to give up the goodies, lol! I do like cookies, I'll take white chocolate macadamia nut please! jab jab ;)

Keep the progress moving and the pics coming...

[Centerforce]

The world needs more wagons like this out on the track! The engine is coming together well!

[tommycomfort]

It looks like you guys are doing a nice job Tom. The motor looks sweet in there all dolled up.

Thanks Wayne! Turns out it has been four years since we installed the used ZZ4 and it was really looking a little nasty. I'm not sure why all my pictures make it look like it's fluorescent orange, but rest assured it is just Duplicolor Chevrolet orange.

[tommycomfort]

Awesome! That engine should rock and make the car that much more fun!

Interesting, I ran into the same issue you had with the intake- I'm also doing an engine swap, my wagon's engine recently broke. I have a sbc engine that was in my street strip Nova but hasn't seen any action for 10+ years, so I decided to swap it into the wagon. It has World Products Sportsman II heads and a Victor Jr intake while the old wagon engine had GM 400 sbc heads and a Proform air gap dual plane. To help build low end better I put the dual plane on the Nova's motor, first cleaning and painting it nice, and then "glued" and bolted it down. That's when I realized that I could see into the intake ports just like yours. Ugh! I ended up having to put the single plane back on. I guess the wasted gaskets, new gasket cost and my time was a harsh reminder to test fit before assembling, lol!

Well the progress on your wagon is looking good, and it'll be fun to see how the extra power pans out. Your wagon has always been an inspiration to me and seeing pics of it everywhere helped push me to make mine better. I still hope meet up some day and do the battle of the wagons at an event. My wife has a mean brownie recipe so maybe I'll bring a basket of those and the car with the slower time has to give up the goodies, lol! I do like cookies, I'll take white chocolate macadamia nut please! jab jab ;)

Keep the progress moving and the pics coming...

Thanks Ben! Sure glad we bought this wagon when we did because it seems like their values keep going up. Although, a couple of years ago a guy pulled into the car wash where we were cleaning it up and kindly offered us $1700 cash. Funny, he acted like he was really going out on a limb...

The head swap and intake deal has been a little frustrating but we know that's just "hot rodding" and it would be silly to get fired up about it. We also found that we needed special gaskets for the Chevrolet Performance intake that were .120 thick. I have a stack of other Fel-Pro gaskets on the shelf that didn't work. Live and learn!

[tommycomfort]

The world needs more wagons like this out on the track! The engine is coming together well!

Thanks, the wagon sure is fun on the auto-x and track! We're still rocking the Centerforce LT1 style clutch kit we installed a while back (although I don't see anything about it in the our build thread). I work on fixing that...

[Motown 454]

Tom I need your wife to call my wife to help me get her in the garage with me. The only thing out there she cares about is when she tells me to clean it!!! lol

[Centerforce]

Thanks, the wagon sure is fun on the auto-x and track! We're still rocking the Centerforce LT1 style clutch kit we installed a while back (although I don't see anything about it in the our build thread). I work on fixing that...

Awesome! We're happy to hear that its working well for you, and that we could be part of your build in a small way!

[tommycomfort]

We installed a set of Morris Classic Concepts mirrors on the wagon yesterday. The old mirrors were cool but at high speeds or door slamming they flopped around. I ordered these for a friend/customer a couple of years ago but because the way they sat in their car they didn't feel like they could adjust them correctly. So, they sat on my shelf all that time until we were finally fed up with the old mirrors. All good now!





The old mirrors were cool especially the one with the AAA decal on it.

[camarodude87]

Did you have to run a spacer for your c5 brakes? Im looking to get ls1 brake up front and looking to get WV 17".

[tommycomfort]

Did you have to run a spacer for your c5 brakes? Im looking to get ls1 brake up front and looking to get WV 17".

When we ran the C5 fronts on our 66 we did use a spacer to clear the spokes of the Vintage Wheel Works V40 wheels. Are the ls1 calipers the same size as the C5 calipers? They look substantially different in the pictures I pulled up.

[beater65]

Man, I just read through your entire thread.

Your families involvement in events and in the garage is inspiring. I have owned a 65 Malibu wagon for right at a year now and was struggling with deciding to go airride or my original plan to build a nice pro-touring static suspension. After reading the thread and a conversation recently with Mark Savitske I think I have solidified my path. I hope eventually I can ditch the ebay arms I currently have and put together a functional corner carver close to as cool as yours at some point.

You may know the car possibly. Guy named Greg Parker from Osceola IN owned it.

[tommycomfort]

Man, I just read through your entire thread.

Your families involvement in events and in the garage is inspiring. I have owned a 65 Malibu wagon for right at a year now and was struggling with deciding to go airride or my original plan to build a nice pro-touring static suspension. After reading the thread and a conversation recently with Mark Savitske I think I have solidified my path. I hope eventually I can ditch the ebay arms I currently have and put together a functional corner carver close to as cool as yours at some point.

You may know the car possibly. Guy named Greg Parker from Osceola IN owned it.

Man, thanks for your comments! We've been horrible about updating build threads and it's really good to know folks are still looking at them. Deb's wagon is an absolute "mule". All last year we double and sometimes triple registered it for events because our other Chevelle is still down. We thrash on it without remorse and so far, it just keeps coming back for more!
I love your wagon, but I can't say that I ever saw it previously. Let us know if you start a build thread of your own so we can follow along.
Tom