Project Chili Pepper

[TomT]

We have been making a little progress on the Chili Pepper.

We decided to fabricate our own 360 degree rear axle brackets / coilover mounts. Also working on some adjustable axle stands to precisely dial-in the pinion angle. We're going to redo the upper control arm mounts on the rear end too after noticing interference with the brackets that came with the Moser rear end (I'm pretty sure they're based on A-Body parts rather than the G-body). The Detroit Speed control arms came with some really nice bushings for the upper rear control arms. They are smaller in diameter and should control motion better so we're going to use them with the new upper brackets.


The top of rear section of the frame is all seam welded and we've started cleaning up the front section. Last night I made an extension cord for my welder so now we can reach the front of the frame. I'll try to post some more pics soon.

[TomT]

We've been making progress little by little. We've moved on to the front of the frame. A lot of the factory ugliness was cleaned-up, the frame was detailed and then seem welded. It still looks pretty OE but it is much cleaner by comparison. Hopefully the seam welding will add a little rigidity. One thing for sure, the seam welding gave me a lot of TIG practice.








We dropped the LS2/T56 combo in for another fit check and to determine the trans crossmember location. The mounts in the photo are Holley mounts designed specifically for G-Bodies. They bolt to the LS engine and drop right onto and bolt up to the factory G-Body chassis mounts. They Position the engine as far back as possible while still allowing room for good firewall clearance and an AC box. I might decide to use a set of engine mounts that I designed (that are also in the Holley catalog). Really, the only reason I would do that is because I designed them. Even if I do use the mounts I designed, we will keep the engine in the same position so the Hooker swap exhaust manifolds and headers will fit.

We will also be using the Holley LS swap oil pan. Before we introduced that pan, I had purchased a number of different pans to try. None of them worked very well. That's really what led us to do our pan. The pan in the photo is being marketed by GM as a "Muscle Car" swap pan. In actuality it is a pan from a Hummer H3 Alpha. On the positive side they're very cheap because GM made them in such high volumes. The negative is a big one though. The sumps are too deep and they stick down well below the crossmember (about 2 inches). It doesn't take much imagination to envision what mayhem would ensue when a cast aluminum pan encounters an immovable speed bump. Not worth the risk as far as I'm concerned. When I can, I'll take some photos of the GM Muscle car pan and the Holley pan both in the frame for comparison purposes.



We took a couple steps backward on the rear end. I wasn't happy with the degree of precision with which I had tacked the control arm brackets on the 9-inch rear end. It was hard to hold everything and simulateously tack the parts together. I redesigned the brackets and made some fixtures to get the positioning spot on. The fixtures also let me accurately dial in the pinion angle. I'll try to post up some photos of that soon (once everything is tacked in). Oh yeah - I also need to finish the upper mounts for the coil overs in the rear. Rats...always something else to do.

We are really looking forward to flipping the frame so we can get the bottom buttoned-up! After that we can bolt-on suspension parts and fit up the body which will allow us to start working on the mini tubs.

[Tony_SS]

Lookin' good...

[tommycomfort]

Yep, we need more progress and updates Tom! But the workmanship is second to none!

[CRCRFT78]

Can I just send you my Malibu, GREAT WORK.

[CruizinKev]

looks great so far Tom!!

[TomT]

Thanks guys!

[TomT]

Yep, we need more progress and updates Tom!

I'll try to do better Tom.
One of the reasons I started a thread on the project was because I knew it would create a little external pressure and help keep me motivated. Thanks for applying a little!
I need to get my priorities straight: Priority #1 = Project car; Priority #2 = Everything else.

[BLWN1]

Wow not sure how I missed this but close to home.. wish my LS Bu was making this kind of progress...

[CRCRFT78]

Any updates?

[TomT]

Here are some photos of a template I made for the new upper control arm brackets. I drew the basic geometry in AutoCAD, printed it out, glued it to poster board, cut it out, and then mocked it up. Think of the verticle lines as a digital contour gage. I drew them long, trimed the template to fit so I could measure them and then make adjustments as necessary to the drawing. Once I was satisfied with the template (the final is pictured), I cleaned up the drawing and sent it off for the parts to be laser cut.

[TomT]

And here is the finished bracket ready to be tacked to the rear end housing. Next we'll need to have some bungs machined to accept the bushings.

[RCWillet]

This is looking awesome guys

[JEbrake]

And I'm officially subscribed! Awesome craftsmanship!

[CruizinKev]

very nice looks great!!

[85coupe50]

Looks great... Awesome work on the frame jig.

[dheape]

Finally someone else who has seen a radio delete plate my 80 malibu came that way sounds like a fun build ill have to read on.

[CRCRFT78]

Any updates on the build Tom?

[HotRod47]

Great project! I have a soft spot for this body style.

[Dave B]

Very Nice! Awesome project.
When I was young, one of my friends Dad had one of those as a company car, I still remember going for rides with him, it must have had a V8 since it seemed fast, but then again I was ten in 1979. So seeing one, always reminds me of those days.