Enter your username:
Do you want to login or register?
  • Forgot your password?

    Login / Register



    Page 1 of 41 1 2 3 4 5 6 11 ... LastLast
    Results 1 to 20 of 808
    1. #1
      Join Date
      Sep 2009
      Posts
      2,695
      Country Flag: United States

      1968 Camaro Resto-mod LS3/6 speed: Project Penny Pincher; Help w/ rear diff?

      I am starting a build thread to document the restoration and build of my 1968 Camaro I am calling, "Project Penny Pincher". The name came from my wife's idea when I was asking for help thinking of a project name. The end goal is for the car to be a deep copper color, while also keeping the car on a pretty tight project. I will give her full credit because hey, she's pretty creative.

      Some of you may remember a few years back when I started a build here that documented my 1976 Trans Am while I was installing an LS1 and 6 speed. I sold it a few years ago to help offset some of my student loan debt. I don't regret paying down the debt, but I do really miss driving a cool car! During the restoration process I learned to have a tremendous amount of patience, but probably most crucial thing I learned was the importance of setting goals and sticking to them. I think that most people can appreciate being on a budget and my car will be the same way and will be done in stages. I am however, going to always be mindful of future upgrades and am not afraid to spend the money where it counts.

      The end goal for this car will be an LSx powerplant with 6 speed manual transmission. I want the car to be a deep copper color, with subtle black accents. I also want the car to perform, and handle just like a newer sports car. Unless I can score a smoking deal on an aftermarket front sub-frame, I will be keeping the stocker with upgraded suspension, coilover's, solid body mounts, and etc. The car will likely never be a competitive road course car, but will see a lot of street time. I want it to be comfortable for my wife and my young son (7 1/2 months old). So yes, this car will be getting a "racing" infant seat.

      This whole project started when I bought the car from my wife's grandfather who has had the car for around 10 years. It mostly just sat in a garage, with the exception of having a driver's side rocker panel and a pair of quarter skins installed. We negotiated a price, and I brought the car home on 12/12/15. And so my project begins. It is desperately in need of a restoration with some poor attempts at body panel replacement needing to be addressed. The biggest parts that need to be finished are all 4 floor pans, trunk pan, front and rear window channels and replacing the passenger side rocker panel. There are a few other small patches here and there, but overall it's a great foundation for what I am looking to build. Here are some of the pictures from the day I brought the car home.























      What's even more amazing is the car came with the original Protect-o-Plate!



      For those wondering, it is a plain Jane 6 cylinder originally. So my drivetrain will be a huge improvement!



      I am really hoping to have all of the rust repaired and the body in epoxy primer by the end of May 2016. May be a bit ambitious considering I am only working on the car a few hours a week, but I need to set goals for myself.


      Thanks for looking,
      Ryan


      1955 Nomad project LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes, Vision wheels
      1968 Camaro 6.2 w/ LSA, TR6060-Magnum hybrid and etc SOLD
      1976 T/A LS1 6 Speed, and etc. SOLD

    2. #2
      Join Date
      May 2009
      Location
      Minnesota
      Posts
      615
      Looks like a great starting point. These builds are always fun to watch. I find it much more interesting to see a build come together through old and new parts and scoring deals. Good luck and I will be watching for progress.

    3. #3
      Join Date
      Sep 2009
      Posts
      2,695
      Country Flag: United States
      After having the car for a few weeks and assessed what I needed, I finally got to to work on these floor pans. If the car didn't come with the floor pans already I would have just sprung for a full floor pan from AMD, but since I already have the pans it just costs me time... It had been a while since I had done any welding, so I started with the easier of the 4 floor pans to get my feet wet again. Nothing overly complicated, just a ton of butt welding and grinding. When I first got the car the floor pans were basically set in and tacked, which was apparently how the car was driven for a while. Oh brother.

      I took all of 5 minutes to cut off the tack welds and starting fitting it to the floors for the better repair.







      Those little clamps sure come in handy!



      Once it was ground smooth, I spread a little seam sealer for safe measure. Once I finish with all the floor pans I will cut out the plugs and replace with new.



      1955 Nomad project LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes, Vision wheels
      1968 Camaro 6.2 w/ LSA, TR6060-Magnum hybrid and etc SOLD
      1976 T/A LS1 6 Speed, and etc. SOLD

    4. #4
      Join Date
      Sep 2009
      Posts
      2,695
      Country Flag: United States
      Once the driver's rear was done, I felt confident in my welding again and tackled the most difficult floor... the driver's side. At first it didn't look too bad, but once I started digging around with the sub-frame removed, it was much worse...







      Since the front sub-frame mounts were toast at the bottom, I decided to buy some reproduction parts and splice them into the solid parts of the body. Trying to keep as much of the original body as possible.



      This is the patch panel that came with the car. Since it was a one piece and the factory has two pieces where the toe board meets the floor I decided to cut it in half and splice together so it looked more original.



      Here is the damage that I found once I got the previous repairs removed. Somewhere along the way someone had brazed in some panels, that I removed. The brazed panels pre-dated the previous owner, and were done fairly well. Despite this fact, I didn't like the way it looked and cut it out. Here is the carnage.



      New torque box/body mount panel test fitted.





      And here it is burned in.







      And the toe board.









      1955 Nomad project LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes, Vision wheels
      1968 Camaro 6.2 w/ LSA, TR6060-Magnum hybrid and etc SOLD
      1976 T/A LS1 6 Speed, and etc. SOLD

    5. #5
      Join Date
      Sep 2009
      Posts
      2,695
      Country Flag: United States
      Once the toe board and inner panels were repaired, I moved on to the floor pan. I didn't get any pictures as I was trimming the floor pan, but this is what happens your jig saw hits a can of primer, haha.







      After that excitement I moved onto finishing the floor pan install.





      And driver's side floor pan done!



      I started to list out some of the major tasks that I have to do, and will slowly cross them off of the list. Hopefully this will keep me on track.



      I also went with my dad last weekend and picked up this rotisserie for a steal. I'm going to put a fresh coat of paint on it and get the Camaro on it. I need to install the trunk pans and this will make it much easier to weld.



      That brings me to where I am currently. I am really hoping to push and get this body rust free and in epoxy primer by May 31st.

      Thanks,
      Ryan


      1955 Nomad project LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes, Vision wheels
      1968 Camaro 6.2 w/ LSA, TR6060-Magnum hybrid and etc SOLD
      1976 T/A LS1 6 Speed, and etc. SOLD

    6. #6
      Join Date
      Sep 2009
      Posts
      2,695
      Country Flag: United States
      This will be the drivetrain for this car. It is a 01 LQ4 6.0 from a 2500 Chevy pickup with around 130k miles. I got it with the intentions of rebuilding as it had an initial knock that would go away when driving. More on that later. I plan to build an engine run stand to make sure it's sound before I install it in the Camaro. Here it is when I got it.



      Stripped it down to what I will be using.







      The pictures make it look much worse, but there are no ridges or scoring. Everything seems tight and I am going to chance it and try and run it as is.







      And here it is today waiting for me to get further along with the build on my Camaro.



      I got a smoking deal on these Fbody accessories with under drive pulley and stainless bolt kit. $210 shipped!





      Had to drill the lower boss for the low mount alternator.





      Here is the accessories roughly mocked up.



      And here is the reason that I am leaning towards the engine being sound. This two piece flywheel may have been causing a little sound!





      And the transmission that I will be running is a 1998 Borg Warner T56, that was swapped out for a guy who was upgrading to a trans that will handle 1000 hp from his turbo LS!





      Just pulled the tail shaft to make sure everything looked ok. No shavings or anything that looked unusual.



      1955 Nomad project LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes, Vision wheels
      1968 Camaro 6.2 w/ LSA, TR6060-Magnum hybrid and etc SOLD
      1976 T/A LS1 6 Speed, and etc. SOLD


    7. #7
      Join Date
      Dec 2015
      Location
      Arkansas
      Posts
      96
      Country Flag: United States
      Nice project - we are at similar stages and have similar goals...I'll be watching your progress
      '67 Camaro SS - Currently in build stage but making progress!
      **Brett**

    8. #8
      Join Date
      Nov 2006
      Location
      Hildebran, NC
      Posts
      992
      Country Flag: United States
      LOL!!!....2 piece flywheel=no good.

      This is unbelievable.

    9. #9
      Join Date
      Sep 2009
      Posts
      2,695
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by rchaskin View Post
      LOL!!!....2 piece flywheel=no good.

      This is unbelievable.
      I'm with you. I have never seen a flywheel break like that one did. Keeping my fingers crossed that was the knocking that they were referring to.


      1955 Nomad project LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes, Vision wheels
      1968 Camaro 6.2 w/ LSA, TR6060-Magnum hybrid and etc SOLD
      1976 T/A LS1 6 Speed, and etc. SOLD

    10. #10
      Join Date
      May 2009
      Location
      Minnesota
      Posts
      615
      More than likely that was the noise. Before I looked at the pictures the first thing that came to mind was piston slap. The 6.0's are known for cold starting with piston slap. It is common and goes away as the motor warms up.

    11. #11
      Join Date
      Sep 2009
      Posts
      2,695
      Country Flag: United States
      It's time to take this build to the next stage. My dad's buddy gave us a killer deal on this rotisserie, just needed a little paint. I'm hoping to build the mounts for it this weekend, and possibly get my car on it. The rotisserie will make welding on the car so much easier.

      Before:



      During:







      After:



      The paint turned out ok, but there are a few runs. I'm not too concerned since it looks 10x's better than before. If anyone has any advice once my car is up on the rotisserie, they would be well received. The only experience I have with them is what I have read.

      Thanks,
      Ryan


      1955 Nomad project LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes, Vision wheels
      1968 Camaro 6.2 w/ LSA, TR6060-Magnum hybrid and etc SOLD
      1976 T/A LS1 6 Speed, and etc. SOLD

    12. #12
      Join Date
      Apr 2015
      Location
      Burlington KY
      Posts
      357
      Country Flag: United States
      looking good- reminds me of my car a few years back- only a ford. I built my own rotisserie and it was a life saver on working under the car and getting epoxy primer in all the spots etc. Make sure the car is in the middle so it will spin 360 without trying to take off. My car was set alittle too low and would self center upright, but my old garage was low and hard to fit between the floor and ceiling. Im putting an LY6 in my car- very similar-so i'll be watching your build. Ive seen that flexplate before- used to happen alot on the old 4.3 v6 motors.
      "Racing is life. Everything else is just, waiting"

    13. #13
      Join Date
      Jul 2010
      Location
      Born and bred an Okie.
      Posts
      26
      Country Flag: United States
      Keep it coming. Fun project to watch.
      My project is my 1967 Camaro.
      She was my first car, had her since '82.

    14. #14
      Join Date
      Sep 2009
      Posts
      2,695
      Country Flag: United States
      I got a little more done on the floor pans/ front torque box this weekend.





      Don't pay attention to the rust around my work area, it will be addressed all at once. When the car gets on the rotisserie I am going to clean up and spray everything at once for a uniform look.





      I didn't get any pictures, but I have partially installed the toe board. I had some fitment issues at first, but got that all straightened out. Just need to finish up the spot welds and then I can get the pan installed.

      Cheers,
      Ryan


      1955 Nomad project LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes, Vision wheels
      1968 Camaro 6.2 w/ LSA, TR6060-Magnum hybrid and etc SOLD
      1976 T/A LS1 6 Speed, and etc. SOLD

    15. #15
      Join Date
      Sep 2009
      Posts
      2,695
      Country Flag: United States
      I was able to get into the garage yesterday to get some work done. The toe board on the passenger's side gave me a lot more trouble than I was hoping, as I kept burning through no matter what settings I put on my MIG welder... Anyway after I got the panel to a point where I was happy, I called it done. Primed and painted it.



      I ground down the really large high spots, but I am going to leave the welds for strength. I don't want to grind them smooth and end up with a weak spot.



      Here is the floor pan, that I have test fit and is very close to burning it to the body.



      That's it for today's update. I'm hoping to have the floor pans completely done within the next few weeks. I think that if I can keep up this pace, the car will have the rust completely repaired by May 31st.


      1955 Nomad project LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes, Vision wheels
      1968 Camaro 6.2 w/ LSA, TR6060-Magnum hybrid and etc SOLD
      1976 T/A LS1 6 Speed, and etc. SOLD

    16. #16
      Join Date
      Sep 2009
      Posts
      2,695
      Country Flag: United States
      Quick mid-week update. Since it is a process for me to get out in the garage to fire up the welder and grinder, I thought I would start on some other items that have been bouncing around in my mind. After much research and great past experience with GM fuel pump assemblies, I decided that the best bet for my fuel system was to source a 5th Gen Fbody pump. They are much shorter than the 4th gen pumps(meaning that it will fit in a stock 1st gen tank), and can support well above 400 hp, and don't require any baffling, so for me that is a win-win-win! After talking with Carl at vaporworx, I bought his kit to modify the stock assembly to run constant, vs. in stock form that would require a pwm.

      So after searching around for my tank options and keeping my budget in mind, I have decided to modify my stock tank rather than the stamped Rick's tank that is all set up for the 5th Gen pump assembly. The tank that came in my car has been replaced somewhere along the line and is in very good condition rust wise. So the plan is for me to add a recessed panel into the front sump of the fuel tank, and add a factory style fuel pump mounting ring for OEM reliablity.

      Here is what I am starting with. It is a 2011 SS Camaro Fuel pump assembly from a 53k mile car. I scored this on ebay for $59 bucks free shipping! Later, I will show how to modify the pump with the Vaporworx kit.



      With a little research and looking around at different tanks, I found that the tank from a '07 Colorado has the same exact mounting ring dimensions as my LS3 pump. After a quick trip to the pick-a-part, my sawzall make quick work to get this little guy out!



      After sketching out some dimensions and seeing what would work with this pump and the mounting ring, I had my game plan.



      I wanted to get the mounting ring as round as I could, so with some "engineering", I was able to come up with this method. I was using the inner circle as my template, and fixed my grinder into position. It worked great!





      Next up was getting the gasket surface as flat as I could. After giving this some more thought, I decided to use a similar method. I used my phone's level, and got the grinder perfectly level both side to side and front to back. I mounted it in place, and slowly worked the surface. Since I am going to use a Viton(r) gasket, it should take up some of the imperfections that this surface has. Overall, I was very pleased with the results from my makeshift methods... or whatever you want to call it.







      And the final result.





      For the final installation, it will have a Viton(R) gasket sealed up between it and the recessed panel I will be putting on my fuel tank. I will make a ring that will fit inside the tank that will bolt everything down.

      That's all for now.

      Cheers,
      Ryan


      1955 Nomad project LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes, Vision wheels
      1968 Camaro 6.2 w/ LSA, TR6060-Magnum hybrid and etc SOLD
      1976 T/A LS1 6 Speed, and etc. SOLD

    17. #17
      Join Date
      Sep 2009
      Posts
      2,695
      Country Flag: United States
      In true "Penny Pincher" fashion, I was browsing craigslist and after negotiating, I picked up a LG G5-X3 cam, 853 LS1 heads, and Comp Cams springs for $250 bucks from a '99 Vette! They are in good condition, and should really wake up the 6.0! The cam is similar to the MS3 cam from Texas Speed. The actual cam specs are 234/242 .600 .610 on 112 LSA. Cam has some very slight oxidation, but it cleaned right up with an emery cloth. Here are some pictures.







      I'm hoping to sell the 853 heads and get some of my money back. The 317 heads that are on the LQ4 now flow the same as the 243 LS6 heads, but have a larger combustion chamber. Making the switch would be a step backwards.

      Over the next few months I am going to be building an engine run stand, and I plan to verify that the 6.0 has a solid bottom-end before I start swapping cams. Should have an update on that over the next few months.

      Cheers,
      Ryan


      1955 Nomad project LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes, Vision wheels
      1968 Camaro 6.2 w/ LSA, TR6060-Magnum hybrid and etc SOLD
      1976 T/A LS1 6 Speed, and etc. SOLD

    18. #18
      Join Date
      Mar 2007
      Location
      Florida
      Posts
      2,391
      Country Flag: United States
      Great creativity on the tank/pump set up!

    19. #19
      Join Date
      Nov 2006
      Location
      Ma.
      Posts
      5,567
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by NOT A TA View Post
      Great creativity on the tank/pump set up!
      Great idea.
      Wayne
      Car FINALLY home !!!!!! lol
      Project FNQUIK https://www.pro-touring.com/showthre...ghlight=FNQUIK

    20. #20
      Join Date
      Sep 2009
      Posts
      2,695
      Country Flag: United States
      I appreciate the compliments. Hoping to get the rest of the materials to modify the tank soon.


      1955 Nomad project LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes, Vision wheels
      1968 Camaro 6.2 w/ LSA, TR6060-Magnum hybrid and etc SOLD
      1976 T/A LS1 6 Speed, and etc. SOLD

    Page 1 of 41 1 2 3 4 5 6 11 ... LastLast




    Advertise on Pro-Touring.com