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    1. #1
      Join Date
      Apr 2006
      Location
      Miami
      Posts
      77

      Starting a Build - LS Swap 69 Camaro

      Hi Everybody,
      This forum has been tremendously helpful over the years and I am finally getting around to starting the rebuild. It was suggested that I start a build thread in order to gain some feedback so feel free to chime in on what you think I need to know and what you think needs improvement. The intention is to create a really fun to drive/reliable car for the street. I don't see myself tracking the car but would like to use quality parts I won't have to replace in the next 2 decades and will help improve performance.



      The car has been in the same shape for the past 15 years and just maintained for rare driving occasions. I will provide a little background information and then pose a few questions for you guys. The car was originally a 6 cylinder with a vinyl top and columns shifter. The guy I purchased it from back in 97 had put in a well build 350 (1974 corvette block and 202 camel hump heads) With roller rockers and stud girdles. The transmission was a turbo 400 with a solid shift kit but he never upgraded the torque converter and I always had intentions to swap out for a manual so I never did either. I have removed the motor and trans(pictured) and have no idea what's a ballpark for the asking price. I see some of the 202 heads are still desirable for some and are frequently sold on ebay. Any feedback on this would be great.

      Ive received a Tremec magnum and am debating a a few LS2 options at this point. Any suggestions on a stock lower milage engine vs a rebuilt top end would be appreciated.

      When I first got the car I upgraded with Hotchkis 3 inch lowering springs as well as a sway bar and KYB gas shocks. I also changed the bushings over to polyurethane. I was really happy with this performance improvement so I think I'm going to swap out the upper and lower control arms and was thinking about going with with new Hotchkis shocks as well. The old subframe is in pretty decent shape so I think I will just weld the parts that need a little help as I don't think this application requires an exotic subframe. But any suggestions there are also appreciated.

      I've got a set of 13 inch Wilwood disc brakes for the front being delivered and a set of acquired rear disc brakes that are about 12 inches. Any advice on what to do with the old 10 bolt which definitely needs positraction and probably some beefing up. Is that worth it or should that just be replaced?

      Lastly at this point I think I'll need a new radiator mount and inner fender wells. Any preference on replacement versus repairing the old ones. The Radiator Support is looking pretty bad, I might be able to salvage the inner fenders if you guys suggest that. I'll try to keep things updated weekly. Thanks for all the good content over the years, You guys have kept me motivated and the time has finally come.
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    2. #2
      Join Date
      Jun 2013
      Location
      San Diego
      Posts
      275
      Country Flag: United States
      Nice looking car/project you got going on there.

      Two quick questions that I think will help with receiving advice.... Where are you located? Do you have an estimated budget?
      Brian

      1972 C10 - 454/TH400 - Short bed conversion - https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...1972-C10-SoCal
      1970 Nova - LS Swap - https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...Cal?highlight=



    3. #3
      Join Date
      Apr 2006
      Location
      Miami
      Posts
      77
      I am located in Miami, Budget is approximately 20k for parts as I am doing the bulk of the work myself with a friend. This does not include Body work and paint as I will tackle that at a later date. I've allocated $4500 for the transmission, crossmember, bell housing and modified driveshaft (Already purchased) looking to spend between 4-5k on engine with wiring harness, peddle and MAF. located several options on ebay and locally in that ballpark. Allocated another 10K for everything else that may be needed in the process to get the car running and driving before making decisions about the bodywork. Thanks again for your feedback I hope that info helps.

    4. #4
      Join Date
      Apr 2005
      Location
      Plantation, FL
      Posts
      60
      Nice color, that is going to be a nice car. I am located just north of you in Davie, Fl and am in the middle of exactly what you are working on. Doing an LS swap, better suspension and interior. Just got mine out of paint and body 2 months ago. Always nice to have other people to bounce idea's off of.
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      Steve
      69 Camaro

    5. #5
      Join Date
      Apr 2006
      Location
      Miami
      Posts
      77
      Quote Originally Posted by fladoans View Post
      Nice color, that is going to be a nice car. I am located just north of you in Davie, Fl and am in the middle of exactly what you are working on. Doing an LS swap, better suspension and interior. Just got mine out of paint and body 2 months ago. Always nice to have other people to bounce idea's off of.
      Man did the body turn out beautiful. Really well done. Just picked up the LS2 an hour ago. Has some nice PRC heads on it and a ms3 cam. Looks to be fun. I scooped up 2 extra ac compressors and some brackets for the front of the engine. If you need anything in that department let me know. When I get closer to paint and body I’ll PM you about who you used. Did you stick with the original sheet metal or go with replacements?

    6. #6
      Join Date
      Apr 2005
      Location
      Plantation, FL
      Posts
      60
      Had the change the floor, inner rockers, firewall, inner fenders and rear frame rails. Should still do the trunk floor, but it'll work for now. The rest is original. I definitely am saving this post. I'm sure I will have questions. This is my 2nd restore of a 69 Camaro and did another 72 Chevelle a while back. Can't wait to see how yours turns out.

      I have a new LS3 and a 5 Speed TKO sitting in the garage, but I still have some more work to do on the car before I start working on getting them in.
      Steve
      69 Camaro

    7. #7
      Join Date
      Apr 2006
      Location
      Miami
      Posts
      77

      Week 2 Updates

      Some of week 2 progress. Old motor and Trans out. Scored a pretty good deal from a nice guy and got a LS2 with PRC heads and and MS3 cam. May reach out to Texas Speed to find out more about the ported heads. Build on the motor appears solid. Came with changes to the belt system, pretty sure the alternator will have to be put back to stock location and don't think the sikky oil pan will work with the subframe but lots of work to get to before that.
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    8. #8
      Join Date
      Apr 2006
      Location
      Miami
      Posts
      77

      Sunday week 2 subframe

      Got the subframe stripped of the suspension and brakes
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      Really happy with how these Hotchkis parts held up over the past 18 years. Going to have them cleaned and powder coated and upgrade with control arms and lowering leaf springs
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      This is what and angle grinder, a buddy who can weld and several hours of your life look like.
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      The repair that took place one year after I first purchased the car was a total joke, we managed to do it correctly this time with replacement metal I got on ebay.
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    9. #9
      Join Date
      Apr 2006
      Location
      Miami
      Posts
      77

      Week 3 Updates

      Began cleaning up the firewall
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      Got the gas tank out, it was replaced about 13 years ago so not in too bad shape. Finally got the Drum brakes off and man did that feel good. Axle is drained, anyone with any suggestions on kits to rebuild the 10 bolt would be great. Don't think the car has been in this many parts since it was put together, underside of the body seems to have held up pretty well. Will see what direction I go with the body once sandblasting happens. Subframe goes out tomorrow.

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    10. #10
      Join Date
      Apr 2006
      Location
      Miami
      Posts
      77
      So apparently something feral was hoarding foam padding and acorns in the headliner and it must have been in there for the past 20 plus years. Funny stuff. Name:  week4a.jpg
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      Got the interior out and besides one spot on the drivers side that had some lame body filler work done (Shhh it was me at 21) it looks to be in decent shape. Going to repair that correctly next.

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      Primed the firewall and my buddy welded in the Detroit Speed piece. I like the way it holds the original line of the firewall.

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    11. #11
      Join Date
      Jun 2017
      Location
      Idaho
      Posts
      171
      Country Flag: United States
      My headliner must have had the same critter living up there lol don't know where all that batting material comes from. Had that nasty junk rain down on me when I pulled it out. TMI going back in ;)

    12. #12
      Join Date
      Apr 2006
      Location
      Miami
      Posts
      77
      Quote Originally Posted by Snowcatter View Post
      My headliner must have had the same critter living up there lol don't know where all that batting material comes from. Had that nasty junk rain down on me when I pulled it out. TMI going back in ;)
      Hahaha the acorns is what really killed me as the car has been in Florida for so long. Oak trees are hard to come by in miami. I’m still trying to figure out how the heck the little bugger got up there.

    13. #13
      Join Date
      Apr 2006
      Location
      Miami
      Posts
      77

      5th or 6th weekend update, Can't remember what week it is.

      Finally some progress other than pulling things apart and welding. Completed some work on the firewall, Hotchkis was able to get me the upper and lower control arms and tie rod connectors. Shocks and rear leafs are on back order. Happy with how the subframe and wheels turned out with the powder coating. No issues with break fitment and the rims, might have been able to go with bigger rotors but this should still be a major improvement over the one pistons i had upfront with stock control arms. Let me know what you think of the setup. Name:  Week6a.jpg
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    14. #14
      Join Date
      Apr 2005
      Location
      Plantation, FL
      Posts
      60
      You are moving quickly and it's looking very nice. That subframe came out great with the powder coating. The Hotchkis setup with those brakes will be a big improvement on the handling of the car.
      Steve
      69 Camaro

    15. #15
      Join Date
      Aug 2004
      Location
      NJ
      Posts
      1,293
      Country Flag: United States
      Damn you are moving fast! That subframe cleaned up real nice. You'll be happy with the Hotchkis stuff. I only had the springs, swaybar and shocks from them and it made a big difference in the way the car handled.
      Good luck with the rest and keep us updated!

    16. #16
      Join Date
      Sep 2009
      Posts
      2,695
      Country Flag: United States
      Great work!! That LS2 will be a nice upgrade!


      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
      Apr 2006
      Location
      Miami
      Posts
      77
      After some shipping delays the oil pan came in and was finally able to mount the engine. seems to fit but still waiting on the headers as well as the shocks. Just a few more welds to get rid of some rust and then on to paint.
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    18. #18
      Join Date
      Apr 2001
      Location
      The City of Fountains
      Posts
      15,971
      Country Flag: United States
      Great progress. Smart move using the Holley swap components!

      Andrew
      1970 GTO Version 3.0
      1967 Cougar build
      GM High-Tech Performance feature
      My YouTube Channel Please Subscribe!
      Instagram @projectgattago
      Dr. EFI
      I deliver what EFI promises.
      Remote Holley EFI tuning.
      Please get in touch if I can be of service.

      "You were the gun, your voice was the trigger, your bravery was the barrel, your eyes were the bullets." ~ Her

    19. #19
      Join Date
      Apr 2006
      Location
      Miami
      Posts
      77
      Headers came in, really liked the way they fit and looked, mounted the trans. It was missing a spacer so we fabbed a wood one just to mock the trans tunnel hole. New Hotchkis leaf springs went in the back. Was suggested to go with the 1.5's. Had 2 inch lower blocks in what was probably saggy springs. Added .5 inch spacers to match the difference. will see how low they sit with the actual tires on as well as doors, trunk, hood and interior. Bushings seemed somewhat softer than the energy suspension ones that were previously on. Going to paint in a few days, wish me luck.
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    20. #20
      Join Date
      Apr 2005
      Location
      Plantation, FL
      Posts
      60
      The work is looking great! Good luck with the paint, hope you have something else to do while it’s there. That time for me seemed to drag on forever.
      Steve
      69 Camaro

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