1970 Chevelle Pro Touring Build

[David LaBuda]

It's been a long time since I've posted any updates, mostly because the Chevelle hasn't needed any changes. It's awesome on the mountain roads and desert highways here in New Mexico.


I started working on another project, a 1978 Firebird that I'm documenting here: https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...Firebird-Build

I've been itching for some sort of forced induction for the Chevelle for years, so I decided to use the Chevelle's current drivetrain in the Firebird and start over with something more boost friendly. I found a low mile L96 out of a 2010 armored Suburban 2500. The engine is really clean, unlike the old LQ4 which seemed to have spent some time at the bottom of a lake. I'll be ditching the VVT and adding an LS3 intake manifold, but besides that I hope it won't need anything else. I'm planning on running an E67 ECM behind the fender where the TAC module currently lives. For the harness, I'm starting with one from a G8 L76. The Pontiac used an E38 ECM in the front passenger corner. By rotating the harness 180 degrees, it looks like the ECM connectors will fall into place almost perfectly. Obviously all of the pins will be wrong, but that will be fixed when I swap to the E67 style connectors.




I rebuilt my spare T56 with a stage 2 kit from Texas Drivetrain Performance so it should be good to the mid 600hp range now.

[ekmxryda]

Looks like you are staying busy David.
The Firebird project is cool too, I noticed you went with a single master cylinder this time. Curious to hear your thoughts after driving the Chevelle with the Wilwood dual master if you are having good luck with it.
I have heard it is a challenge for street driving to set up.
New engine looks clean!

[David LaBuda]

I'm happy with the Wilwood setup in the Chevelle. My idea with the Firebird was to keep it as more of a budget build. The Wilwood pedals wouldn't have cost a lot more but I know myself well enough to know that the project would have snowballed from there. The other consideration was that I'm not sure if I will keep the Firebird long term. With a stock style setup, the next owner could easily add a vacuum or hydroboost assist if they don't want manual brakes.

As far as setup goes, I haven't noticed any more difficulty compared to the adjustable prop valve I used to have. A remote adjuster (which I plan to add eventually) would make the process even easier.

[ekmxryda]

"The Wilwood pedals wouldn't have cost a lot more but I know myself well enough to know that the project would have snowballed from there."


Simplicity is good, project creep is something I have a hard time with as well.

[David LaBuda]

In the spirit of giving the Firebird the Chevelle's hand-me-downs, I ended up improving the Chevelle again. I found these seats in an R-Spec Hyundai Genesis Coupe at a salvage yard. The R-spec seats are leather with cloth inserts on the bolsters. It's a great combination that really retains you in the seat. The Genesis replaced the Tiburon so the proportions are similar to seats I had been using the last three years. These seats have much more padding and I think the slightly more "beefy" appearance fits the Chevelle interior better. The Tiburon seats will go in the Firebird. I'm not going to talk about the seat track modifications because I had modified my floorpan for the GTO seats and so it doesn't represent the average Chevelle.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Those look VERY comfy!

[David LaBuda]

I hated the high mount AC compressor as soon as I installed it and the engine swap was the perfect time to fix that eyesore. I built a bracket set to mount the Sanden compressor in the factory location using a dedicated belt. The design is based on a kit that's available, but my bracket gets the compressor closer to the block. Building stuff is always more satisfying than breaking out the credit card.







I notched the frame further back than it needed to be to give clearance in case I ever run a FEAD with Corvette spacing.




I just realized this is the Chevelle's old engine, which is now in the Firebird. The new engine is pained the same color and I want to highlight how great this VHT "cast iron" engine enamel looks.



I also took the opportunity to redo the mounting for fuse panels



I found a great deal on a never-installed Monster LT1-S twin disk clutch. It's WAY overkill for the engine in its current state but I have a few ideas to remedy that situation.

[David Sloan]

Looking good
I would be interested in how you like the clutch when you are up and running again.

[ryeguy2006a]

Nice job on that A/C bracket!

[lawrenq]

Love the seats, I have the same ones in my Chevelle but I had them recovered with skins from Leatherseats.com. I also found out that both seats were heated also.



I'm also running the monster lt1-s clutch, I have almost 4000 miles on it behind a 434 ci ls3 engine and I have no complaints. It behaves like the stock ls7 clutch i had before.

[Vimes]

On the AC bracket, make sure you're going to be able to reach all of the electrical plugs once it's installed in the car since you tucked the compressor closer to the engine. One of those plugs is hard enough to get plugged in with the compressor in the normal location. You may need to clock the compressor a bit to get to those plugs. Now is the time to find this out, not when you're on your back trying to get the plug in and not being able to.

[David LaBuda]

Love the seats, I have the same ones in my Chevelle but I had them recovered with skins from Leatherseats.com. I also found out that both seats were heated also.

I'm also running the monster lt1-s clutch, I have almost 4000 miles on it behind a 434 ci ls3 engine and I have no complaints. It behaves like the stock ls7 clutch i had before.

I'm glad to hear the LT1-S clutch behaves well. I didn't want to give up driveability so that aspect of the clutch caught my eye.

On the AC bracket, make sure you're going to be able to reach all of the electrical plugs once it's installed in the car since you tucked the compressor closer to the engine. One of those plugs is hard enough to get plugged in with the compressor in the normal location. You may need to clock the compressor a bit to get to those plugs. Now is the time to find this out, not when you're on your back trying to get the plug in and not being able to.

This is an SD508 compressor, so it's just got a single lead to engage the clutch. I did run into that issue on the Firebird with a stock truck mount. I had to notch the motor mount clamshell to access the high pressure switch connector.

[Motown 454]

Nice job on the A/C mount. I love the seats.

[David LaBuda]

I've got the L96 installed in the Chevelle and finally have it running well. This was my first experience with a Gen IV LS swap and it took way more trial and error than it should have. In the end, the combination that worked was an E67 ECU, 2007 CTS-V operating system, and LS4 throttle pedal. The Summit stage 2 turbo cam is really well behaved with the manual transmission and has a small lope at idle. I'm also really happy with the LT1-S clutch so far.

The low mount AC compressor conversion was definitely worth the effort. It's hard to notice now versus being right in your face when you used to pop the hood.


I'm also happier with this new mounting scheme for the fuse panels and relay module.


I have the E67 mounted where the TAC module used to be on the firewall. It's a bit of a tight squeeze but when I reworked the wiring harness there were few wires that needed lengthened or shortened.


A bit of fresh paint on the firewall and inner fenders has the engine bay looking much better, especially compared to the 8 year old primer which is looking more gray than black.

[David Sloan]

Looking good!
glad to see your still improving it!

[andrewb70]

Any details about how you mounted the Bussmann panels?

Andrew

[David LaBuda]

Looking good!
glad to see your still improving it!

Thanks! It'll probably be a while until I make any more changes to the Chevelle. Right now I just want to drive it and enjoy it while I work on my latest project.

Any details about how you mounted the Bussmann panels?

Andrew

I think this picture shows it best. The panels attach to the bracket from behind. I just measured the raised portion of the base and left clearance for the tabs. The fasteners depend on which panel you buy, the part number breakdown will tell you.

[David Sloan]

My latest project is trying out some 5th gen Camaro mirrors on the Chevelle. They've got crisp body lines that match with the Chevelle's sharp belt line. The mid 90s Buick mirrors that people like to use just seem a little out of place on a 70. Repop mirrors are only $35 a piece so I figured it was worth experimenting. I'm happy with how the driver's side turned out so I'll order the passenger side and make it work. The glass is quite wider than on the stock mirror which definitely improves the field of view. What do y'all think?

I liked you 5 gen mirrors so much that my list for the junk yard raid keeps getting bigger! I believe they will look good on a 70 elcamino too!
Thank you sir

[David LaBuda]

I liked you 5 gen mirrors so much that my list for the junk yard raid keeps getting bigger! I believe they will look good on a 70 elcamino too!
Thank you sir

Proportionally, I think they're a great fit with the 70-72 body style. Hopefully you can come up with a better mounting solution than I did. That's one thing I need to improve.

[David Sloan]

1350289[/URL]]Proportionally, I think they're a great fit with the 70-72 body style. Hopefully you can come up with a better mounting solution than I did. That's one thing I need to improve.

I’m a long ways from a lot of the things you have done. But I like so much of what you achieved! Your car I believe was worse than mine rust wise. My frame only had 2 areas that were bad. Front passenger frame rail had a lot of rust in it and the rear of the frame was bent from someone hooked to it to try to pull the car.
thanks for sharing!