1978 Custom G-Machine Trans Am. IT'S FINALLY DONE!!

[LUV2XLR8]

excellent build... car looks great

[Takid455]

Thanks for the comps. Hope we can get a track event in the Northeast this year. would be fun to rip around a track or 2. Better to dial in suspension.

engine is 'stock' of course
based on 455 w/ kre heads. HR cam. some magic in the mix too. est based on similar build to have around 540 hp / 600 tq

[NOT A TA]

Looks very nice! Congrats on finishing. Would like to know how that Watts works out for you on track if you get the car on one.

[TEXAS PAUL]

VERY VERY NICE JOB!!!! Pontiac Brother

[Takid455]

Projects are never done and this one is no exception...well, its still being built according to the overall plans created 10yrs ago. Wow..10 years!! About 7,000 miles on the build to date and loving it. For inquiring minds MPG city/ fun time is 12, Highway 18-19. Hopefully this will improve as a new EFI system will be installed over the winter in place of the old Holley Projection 4i. It’s been good but cant feed the motor which was anticipated. At the time , I didn’t care for the aftermarket systems and had this so on it went.

Currently the build is somewhere in the phase 3 & 4 of the overall plan. This year’s updates included:
16”/12” dual brushless fan system by Delta PAG
Adjustable coilover system with ride height adjustability by PTFB
C6 Z06 brakes w/ DBA slotted rotors
Baffled fuel tank w/ in-tank pump. My original tank w/ 4th gen Fbody unit worked well, but starved for fuel around long turns w/ ¼ tank. This is one of those things that happens as aftermarket steps up.
Embroidered floor mats

Show / outing shots








With up and coming Bid Bad Olds.


Back to the fun
Fan set up. 2800 CFM vs 4100 CFM. Better shroud design and overall flow of air through radiator. Engine doesn’t get warm as it once did.




Big boy brakes.
Had the base vette brakes prior and they are a good improvement over stock. These are way better than stock. Makes driving stock brake cars feel as if something is wrong. Def require 18” rims. Had to clearance the front calipers a touch for the 3pc bolts. Direct bolt on otherwise.



New front suspension setup. This allows one to PROPERLY set the coil over so the shock piston is approx half way compressed in the body at ride height. Ride height is then adjusted via jack screw accessible in engine bay. Shocks are double adjustable. Different are were required as the GW arms interfered with the upper shock mount. Difference is dramatic. Car rides much smoother and feels confidently panted to the road. Old coilover setup was OK but could never get it adjusted.



OE mount


After Plasma, sawzall & grinder


Mocked up


Getting there. Stuff gets dirty after use. As much as I clean this car, I was surprised how much and where dirt found its self during disassembly.









All installed and ready to roll


Rears



Winter project is an EFI system I am making myself. Will be tunable by anyone that can tune any late model GM product. System should work on any engine platform with a few platform specific parts. All parts will be avail over the counter if needing replacement.

[VCT-TA]

Really like the new brakes and the coilovers. Where did the coilover conversion kit come from?

Also, noticed the brake cooling duct in the dust shield. Did you fabricate those or are they available some where?

Thanks

[Takid455]

Pro touring F body has them. One I installed was a prototype Dave did. Production ones are a little easier to install as they reference the UCA bolts for alignment. Brake ducts I fabricated. Cooling ducts not shown/ installed as they are not needed for street driving. I put them in for track days.

[True79 "Z"]

Where did you find the arm to use on the shifter position? I have a 79 Camaro trying to use the 4 speed console and keep it original with decent gas mileage. Thank you in advance.

UPDATE 3/2/07

Since the last post, I stopped by the trans shop and looked at exactly what was inside this 6 speed mechanical device. Lots of parts, but nothing that looked difficult to build. Then again, nothing is hard if you know what you are doing. I supposed after about 3 shots, I might get it right. Gforce had sent the modified bellhousing and custom mainshaft to work with triple cone viper tail housings. Very interesting and nicely machine piece. Top notch work by Gforce. Here are some pics

Stuff, look at that bad boy. Rated to 750HP . Gears are the weakest link in this. Better gears are rated to 1200HP and cost 2200. I supposed if you can afford that power , you can afford the gears.


Gears


Carbon fiber syncros, not what I envisioned, but I guess they work well


I had thought that I would be in for a long night of cutting and welding to fit this trans in the tunnel. With the engine tilted at 4* which is the angle of the carb mounting surface relative to the centerline of the engine, the trans fit in and bolted up in about 1 minute. Not lying here. This is with clutch and all bolted up as well. I instantly doubled checked all heights, angles, ect and all were good to go.








So I moved on to the shifter using a stock viper unit. Sawzall and a carbide cutter made a nice opening in the tunnel. I have to move the shifter shaft in about 1” so it doesn’t hit the console. I will be installing a short throw, which will be normal throw with the add height/ length of the shifter. Mcleod makes a nice short throw that can be tailored to your specs.






This is all for now. Tomorrow is finish sanding spoilers and bumpers, fit hydrobooster and hyd. Master cyl in firewall.

[Takid455]

I didn't use any arms perse'. The one shown is a Viper unit for mock up. it was not used. The shifter I used has no offset. To get the shifter location, I used a mix of T56 trans main and tail housings.

[Takid455]

Been about a year since I got my Pontiac 24x EFI , Coil near plug system running & on the road. Aside from some expect tuning bits initially, it has performed flawless. My old TBI setup doesn't hold a candle to this. I made extra sets for my other cars & for others. I use an 0411 GM ECU but others can also be utilized. Its wonderful being able to datalog all the parameters of the old Poncho engine & fine tune. Overall the car/ engine feels more livelier & more responsive even compared to well tuned carb & TBI setups.


Here's a short video of it running on the car.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhTHRymPSlM


One might say, why this over say a Holley system.
1) Holley ticked me off years ago in this area , not the worker's fault, corporate.
2) You can obtain any of the sensors at a locale parts store if needed.
3) Anyone that can tune GM (or ECU of choice) can hook up to this via ODB2 port
4) "Why not LS/LT swap?" - Pure personal preference. Its the best of both worlds. Old school looks & feel with modern tech & reliability.

[ryeguy2006a]

I've been talking about this for a long time. So cool to see that you actually did it! Care to share any pictures of how you mounted the crank/cam rings and sensors?

[manicmechanic]

Very Nice, is that a factory cast iron manifold or aluminum painted over. Also how many extra units do you have available?
Thanks.

[Takid455]

Very Nice, is that a factory cast iron manifold or aluminum painted over. Also how many extra units do you have available?
Thanks.

Aluminum painted over. Edelbrock has a couple EFI ready intakes. I have 12 sets made. Redesigned the tooling for locating the crack trigger / reluctor which I should have soon.

Send me a PM for more info.

Ryan - Cam sensor & housing take the place of the OE distributor. Crank sensor & adjustable bracket mounts off the OE fuel pump boss.

[ryeguy2006a]

That's fantastic! Kudos.

[1965gp]

Very impressive!